The FCC came under criticism Wednesday for its decision to defend media ownership rules that critics argue allow for greater media consolidation.
National Journal/ Media Access Project Commentary
July 23, 2010
By Juliana Gruenwald
The FCC filed a brief in the U.S. District Court of Appeals in Philadelphia defending the media ownership rules adopted in 2007 under Republican Chairman Kevin Martin. The FCC relaxed rules on cross ownership of newspapers and broadcast outlets in the nation’s 20 largest markets
“While the rules being challenged were adopted before I became chairman, I support our general counsel in arguing that the order was within the discretion of the commission and the brief’s general defense of the commission’s authority to make decisions based on the information before it at the time,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement.
Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, all members of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote Genachowski on Tuesday noting their continued concern with the ownership rules adopted under Martin. In their letter, the senators said they wanted to remind Genachowski “of the Senate’s interest in public interest limits for media ownership and that the current commission is under no obligation to follow the steps of its predecessors.” The Senate passed a resolution in 2008 condemning the FCC’s media ownership rules.
The public interest groups Free Press and the Media Access Project criticized the FCC’s decision to defend the rules they say harm free speech by limiting the number of media voices.
“Media Access Project is, to put it mildly, disappointed that the FCC majority is defending Kevin Martin’s highly deregulatory decision with respect to the Newspaper Broadcast Cross-Ownership rule,” Media Access Project Policy Director Andrew Jay Schwartzman said in a statement.
Genachowski noted the FCC is currently reviewing its media ownership rules, which it is required by Congress to do every four years, to ensure its rules “promote the lasting public interest goals of competition, localism, and diversity. Our 2010 quadrennial review will focus on these values, in the interest of an informed citizenry and vibrant media marketplace.”