FCC Deluged with Public Comments on Media Ownership
Midnight Thursday January 2 was the deadline to submit comments to the FCC regarding the Commission’s upcoming review of several key media ownership rules. The following day the FCC reported that it had received over 1700 comments filed by the industry and the public. A large portion of the comments filed were critical of the FCC Chairman Michael Powell’s plans to radically relax or eliminate many media ownership restrictions, including the rule that prohibits the cross-ownership of TV stations and newspapers and the so-called duopoly rule that restricts the number of TV stations that a single owner may have in a given city.

Several public information campaigns put on by consumer and public interest groups were responsible for the large volume of comments filed. Groups like the Center for Digital Democracy provided tools on their websites that made it easier for the public to navigate the maze of instructions for submitting public comments to the FCC.

However a Jan. 3 Wall Street Journal article quotes a communications attorney, identified as “a former FCC insider,” who said that the campaigns that generated so many public comments must be “obviously somewhat ginned up.” Therefore this unnamed attorney said that the Commission is likely to pay more attention to the volume of public comments than to their individual concerns and arguments.

The large media conglomerates that stand to benefit the most from the relaxation or elimination of ownership rules also submitted their fair share of comments to the FCC.

All comments filed with the FCC can be viewed at the FCC website, at www.fcc.gov. Right now the commission is accepting replies to comments that have been filed. This is the opportunity of the public to respond to the arguments and rationales that have been put forth by the broadcast industry and other interest groups. The deadline to submit these reply comments is Feb. 3.

[On Sunday January 19th, at 10 AM, Host Mick Woolf and mediageek's Paul Riismandel will present a special edition of the WEFT program Work in Progress on media ownership. They will read and analyze some of the comments that have been filed and explain how to reply to them with the FCC.]

New FCC Commissioner Speaks Out on Consolidation
In more media ownership news, on January 6 the newest commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission, Jonathan Adelstein, made his first official public appearance and speech at the future of music coalition policy summit held at Georgetown University. Adelstein is one of two democratic commissioners on the FCC and told the future of music coalition that he is concerned about further consolidation of the mass media.

Adelstein questioned the wisdom of a FCC Chair Michael Powell’s campaign to relax an unprecedented number of media ownership rules. Adelstein focused his speech on radio and music, and told the audience that he disagrees with a FCC study suggesting that consolidation of the radio business hasn't hurt diversity of programming.

"Ownership consolidation in local markets by definition reduces competition and puts programming decisions into the hands of comparatively fewer, often national players. Therefore, we must consider how consolidation affects the programming choices available to listeners and the level of local public affairs coverage," Adelstein said in his speech.

Adelstein also called radio consolidation the "canary" in the coal mine. He said the FCC had better examine the health of that canary before further relaxing media ownership rules.

Adelstein’s speech is an important indicator of the kind of fight that will occur at the FCC over the issue of media ownership and consolidation. Both Democrats on the Commission, Adelstein and Michael Copps, have now publicly expressed significant concerns about plans to loosen or eliminate many media ownership restrictions. This means it will be much harder for Chairman Powell to find a consensus on the issue amongst the five Commissioners without making significant compromises in his radical deregulation plans.

The FCC typically prefers to have decisions made with a unanimous or strong majority vote, since strong dissention amongst the commissioners sends mixed messages to both the industry and congress. A party-line vote of 3 to 2 on a rule could send the message that the FCC does not stand strongly behind its decision, raising the fear that the decision could be reversed should there be a change of the party in power.

FCC Chair Concedes to Public Forum on Media Ownership
According to Variety, FCC Chair Michael Powell has agreed to appear at a public forum on media ownership being held at Columbia Law School on Jan 16. Originally only FCC Commissioner Michael Copps had agreed to attend this forum, while Powell only grudgingly gave in to holding one public forum on the issue in Richmond Va. Copps has also agreed to attend a similar forum in LA, and has stated a willingness to attend others.

Powell, on the other hand, had stated earlier that there was no need for any public forum on the issue of media ownership rules, and also cited cost and time considerations as reasons why the commission shouldn't hold them. Apparently the growing public pressure and concern about the threat of the FCC lifting ownership restrictions is having some affect on Powell.