Sunday, November 18, 2007

Urgent Action Needed on FCC Docket 06-121

Thanks to a diary heads-up by Sharon in MD on Daily Kos, I read and responded with e-mails galore after following all sorts of provided links and reading Bill Moyers Journal (and others) on the subject.
(snippet from Moyers Journal):
Despite overwhelming public opposition from across the country and the political spectrum, the Chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin, isn't letting up in his relentless push to allow a handful of media giants swallow up more of your local media.

He made it official on Tuesday: He intends to lift the longstanding ban that keeps one company from owning both the daily newspaper and a radio or television station in the same market.


Martin is pushing this hard, allowing little time for the public to know about much less respond to this effort to remove a bit more democracy. Here is what I wrote to the Chairman and the Commissioners, though I added some thank yous to the ltrs to Copps and Adelstein, the outspoken Dem minority commissioners who have opposed Martin's proposal:

I am adamantly opposed to "Media Ownership Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Docket 06-121," the proposed lifting of the longstanding ban that keeps one company from owning both the daily newspaper and a radio or television station in the same market. There is a good reason for this ban as it protects the important democratic tool of multiple opinions and free speech offered by multiple owners of mass media and local ownership of local newspapers, radio and tv stations, currently being discriminated against under this administration.
We in Maine and all across the country value and need our local stations and believe that big media is already too big. It should have a greater number of restrictions, not the reduction in restrictions currently being proposed.
Media consolidation is a patently bad idea. Please do not lift the ban. This is a plea for continuing the democratic principles under which the FCC is supposed to function.
Thank you for reading this and giving it your consideration.


Not eloquent, but, hopefully, it will help. Feel free to paraphrase but please do contact the FCC before the deadline, this December 11.

Links:
How To Contact the FCC
Bill Moyers Journal on this subject
More helpful links from Bill Moyers Journal
Media Consolidation: A primer on making your opinion heard (very helpful)

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