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Announcement :: Media |
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Action Alert: Call Now To Restore Cross-Ownership Ban |
Current rating: 0 |
by FAIR
(No verified email address) |
23 Jul 2003
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Act now to restore media diversity |
WASHINGTON - July 22 - This afternoon is a critical moment in the effort to roll back the FCC media ownership rules. Tonight, the House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 2799, which includes an attempt to roll back the national television ownership cap, one of the controversial new rules approved by the FCC on June 2.
A move is underway to greatly expand the measure. Congressmembers Maurice Hinchey (D.-N.Y.) and David Price (D.-N.C.) will introduce an amendment to restore the crucial newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership ban.
ACTION: Call your member of Congress immediately and ask them to support the Hinchey-Price amendment to H.R. 2799 to restore the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership ban.
To find contact information for your member of Congress, and to read more about the cross-ownership ban, go to: http://www.mediareform.net/callthehill3.php |
See also:
http://www.fair.org/
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Republicans Are Adding Weight To Reversal Of F.C.C. Media Rule |
by Stephen Labaton, NYT
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jul 2003
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WASHINGTON, July 22 — Until recent days, the nation's largest media conglomerates had hoped that the House of Representatives would kill the growing political efforts to overturn their recent deregulation.
But in a stunning political development, the House now appears poised to support the reversal of a new rule that permits the nation's biggest TV networks to grow even larger.
The House began debate today on a spending measure that contains a provision that would overturn the new network ownership rule. Both supporters and critics of the rule say that the measure has broad bipartisan support and is likely to be approved this week.
Because a Senate committee recently approved a similar measure by a broad bipartisan majority, the movement in the House increases the likelihood that Congress will reverse at least some key elements of the new media ownership rules adopted last month by the Federal Communications Commission. In recent days, the White House has publicly joined the debate, saying that advisers have recommended that President Bush veto the legislation if it is passed by both houses.
Such a veto could be overridden by two-thirds of the voting members of the House and Senate.
The growing political movement to reverse the rules is remarkable at a time when Washington's major political institutions and federal courts have been dominated by deregulatory thinkers. It was assumed that the House would defend the new rules and block any effort to change them. But that changed last week when 11 Republicans deserted their leaders to join with the 29 Democratic committee members to approve the measure in the legislation on the floor of the House tonight.
That decision came in response to a groundswell of criticism to the new rules by a broad coalition of liberal and conservative organizations that raised concerns about media companies growing too large. The groups include the National Organization for Women, the National Rifle Association, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and organizations representing Hollywood writers and independent producers.
The new media ownership rules, adopted by a bitterly divided F.C.C., are among the most significant deregulatory steps undertaken during the Bush administration. They relax many of the most significant restrictions on the ability of broadcast and newspaper conglomerates to both expand into new markets and extend their reach in the cities where they already have a presence.
The House measure would reverse one of the most significant new rules. The commission had ruled that a network could own television stations that reach up to 45 percent of the nation's viewers, an increase from 35 percent. The House measure would restore the old 35 percent limit by prohibiting the commission from spending any money to permit the transfer of a broadcast license to any company above that limit.
Today, the House rejected an amendment by two Democrats, Maurice D. Hinchey of New York and David E. Price of North Carolina, that would have reversed two other new media ownership rules. Those rules would make it easier for a company to own a newspaper and a broadcast station in the same city and allow a company to own more TV stations in the same market.
The House voted 254 to 174 to defeat the amendment after some members said they supported it in principle but urged their colleagues to vote against it on tactical grounds. They said they feared that if the amendment were adopted, the bill would not pass by a veto-proof margin.
Despite its defeat, the move toward reversing the network ownership rule is a significant political blow to both House leaders and the chairman of the F.C.C., Michael K. Powell. Mr. Powell, an architect of the deregulatory effort, is on vacation, and the commission's top spokesman, David Fiske, said he would have no comment on the day's events.
The commission voted 3 to 2 along party lines last month to make the most far-reaching changes to the media rules in a generation. The new rules were heavily promoted by media conglomerates, some of which urged the commission to go even further, and against a flood of comments from hundreds of thousands of people who opposed the changes.
House leaders, recognizing that they faced an embarrassing defeat if they made an issue of the network cap provision on the floor, decided to let it pass with the hope that it could be stripped when the measure is reconciled with the version of the spending bill adopted by the Senate. Such hope may be futile, however, because one of the chief sponsors of a similar measure reversing the new F.C.C. rules is Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican who heads the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The media ownership provision is part of a $37.9 billion spending bill that finances the Justice, State and Commerce departments.
There was little discussion today over the provision to restore the national television cap to 35 percent.
But a sharp debate was prompted by the amendment proposed by Mr. Hinchey and Mr. Price to reverse the two other new rules.
"Restoring these previous rules is essential to preserving the localism, diversity and competition in our airwaves — standards that are needed for a vibrant democracy," Mr. Price said.
But the amendment drew widespread opposition from some members on tactical grounds and others for substantive reasons.
Reflecting the apparent view of a large number of Democrats, Representative David R. Obey of Wisconsin, the ranking Democrat on the appropriations committee, said he supported the amendment in principle but urged his colleagues to oppose it for fear that it would weigh down the legislation and put a veto override at risk.
"I oppose everything the F.C.C. did," said Mr. Obey, the chief sponsor of the measure restoring the network ownership cap to 35 percent. "But the problem is you have to make intelligent decisions as to how much you can bite off."
He added, "We are taking on the media giants of this country, and when you do that, you better doggone make sure you have the votes. This is a killer amendment. It will break the camel's back."
Other senior Democrats agreed.
"On substance, they are correct, but the perfect good is the enemy of the good," said Representative John D. Dingell, Democrat of Michigan. He said that the reversal of other new F.C.C. media rules could be accomplished by other legislation.
And a number of Republicans said they opposed the proposal because it represented a step backward.
"This amendment would stop in its tracks the reasonable deregulation of the rules," said Representative Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Repeating one of the main justifications offered by the F.C.C. for the new rules, Mr. Tauzin said that the Hinchey-Price amendment would lead to the elimination of free over-the-air television.
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com |
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White House Threatens Veto On Media-Ownership Cap |
by Reuters
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jul 2003
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WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said on Tuesday it would veto a large government-spending bill if it reimposed media-ownership caps that were recently relaxed by the Federal Communications Commission.
A House of Representatives committee altered a spending bill for the FCC and other government agencies last week to block deals that would allow television networks to own individual stations that reach more than 35 percent of the audience.
The agency recently raised the national audience limit from to 45 percent 35 percent, sparking a firestorm of criticism from both Democrats and Republicans who argued the move could hurt local reporting and diversity of viewpoints.
The Bush administration said any move to roll back the changes would scuttle the $37.9 billion spending bill, which also sets the budgets for the Justice, State and Commerce departments.
"The Administration believes that the new FCC media ownership rules more accurately reflect the changing media landscape and the current state of network station ownership, while still guarding against undue concentration in the marketplace," the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.
"If this provision or a provision like it with respect to any one of the other FCC Rules is contained in the final legislation presented to the President, his Senior Advisors would recommend that he veto the bill," OMB said.
The four major networks, Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, Viacom Inc.'s CBS, News Corp. Ltd.'s Fox and General Electric Co.'s NBC oppose any attempt to roll back the new, higher ownership cap.
Copyright © 2003 Reuters Ltd
http://www.Reuters.com |
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House Votes, 400-21, To Block Media Rule By The F.C.C. |
by AP
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jul 2003
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted Wednesday to prevent federal regulators from letting individual broadcast companies own television stations serving nearly half the national TV market, ignoring the preferences of its own Republican leaders and a Bush administration veto threat.
By a 400-21 vote, lawmakers approved a spending bill with language blocking a Federal Communications Commission decision to let companies own TV stations serving up to 45 percent of the country's viewers. The current ceiling is 35 percent.
Despite GOP control of the White House, Congress and the FCC, the House vote set the stage for what may ultimately be an unraveling of a regulatory policy that the party strongly favors. The fight now moves to the Senate, where several lawmakers of both parties want to include a similar provision in their version of the bill.
Top Republicans are hoping that, with leverage from the threat of a first-ever veto by President Bush, the final House-Senate compromise bill later this year will drop the provision thwarting the FCC.
In a show of defiance, FCC Chairman Michael Powell issued a written statement before the vote defending the commission's decision. The five-member FCC approved the new rules on a 3-2 party-line vote on June 2.
``We are confident in our decision,'' Powell said. ``We created enforceable rules that reflect the realities of today's media marketplace. The rules will benefit Americans by protecting localism, competition and diversity.''
A statement by NBC lobbyist Bob Okun praised the FCC decision as ``a positive and much needed step offering regulatory relief to free, over-the-air television,'' and called the legislation ``extremely disappointing to us.''
Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chief sponsor of the provision that would derail the liberalized FCC rules, acknowledged in an interview that a tough fight lay ahead over keeping the language intact in the bill's final version. But he declared victory, for now.
``It's extremely rare to be able to reverse a regulatory decision that gives away the store to the big boys,'' Obey said.
With programming power and many billions of dollars at stake, the battle has pitted the big broadcast networks against smaller station owners and an array of groups, from the Christian Coalition to the Consumers Union.
``We've been facing a total roadblock on doing anything in the House,'' said Gene Kimmelman, public policy director for the consumer union. He said the House vote meant ``that roadblock will be torn apart.''
The biggest beneficiaries of the FCC ruling would be Viacom Inc., which owns the CBS and UPN networks, and News Corp., owner of Fox. Due to mergers and acquisitions, both already exceed the 35 percent limit.
Opponents of the FCC decision said it would give giant broadcast corporations too much clout, at the expense of communities and a diversity of voices.
Supporters of the FCC rule said the older, tighter limits ignore a high-tech era in which cable and satellite TV, plus the Internet, have intensified the competition they face. And they said that with even the largest networks owning less than 3 percent of the nation's 1,300 broadcast stations, the clout of the networks was being exaggerated.
Even so, short of support and eager to prevent FCC opponents from using a House roll call to show their strength, GOP leaders didn't even try removing the language from the bill. Instead, they said they would seek to kill it when House-Senate bargainers craft a compromise bill later this year.
Hoping to increase their power, some Republicans were seeking House members' signatures for a letter pledging to vote to sustain a veto, GOP aides said. It would take 145 lawmakers, or one-third of the House, to uphold a veto, which would be President Bush's first.
Some senators may try including similar language in the Senate version of the bill, which may not be written until the fall.
The provision was included last week in a $37.9 billion measure financing the departments of Commerce, State and Justice next year.
On Tuesday, a White House budget office statement said the new FCC rules ``more accurately reflect the changing media landscape and the current state of network station ownership, while still guarding against undue concentration in the marketplace.''
The budget office threatened a veto if ``this provision or a provision like it with respect to any one of the other FCC rules'' is sent to Bush.
On a different issue, lawmakers rejected another amendment by 273-152 that would bar the federal government from interfering with 10 states that allow the medical use of marijuana.
On Tuesday, the House by 309-118 included another amendment blocking the government from performing ``sneak and peek'' searches under the USA Patriot Act. That law, enacted after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, allowed such searches without the property owner's or resident's knowledge with warrants that are delivered afterward.
The House bill affected only part of the FCC's decision.
By 254-174, the chamber rejected an amendment by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., to kill the entire FCC ruling, which he said would impede local media control. The June 2 ruling also would make it easier for companies to own newspapers and broadcast stations in the same community, and to own more than one broadcast outlet in a market.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press
http://www.ap.org/ |
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Bush To Fight Congress On Rolling Back TV Cap, Backs Violators Of Current Regulations |
by Reuters
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jul 2003
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WASHINGTON - The White House said on Thursday it would fight in Congress to strip out language in a bill that would prevent television broadcasters from owning local stations that collectively reach more than 35 percent of the national audience.
The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission on June 2 voted to raise that cap to 45 percent, but the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved an annual spending measure that included a provision rolling it back to 35 percent.
The Bush administration said it would try to strip out the provision when House and Senate leaders negotiate the final version of the spending bill. But there is also bipartisan support for the lower limit in the Senate.
"We are going to work with the Congress to try to fix that in conference," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters traveling with President Bush en route to Philadelphia.
Two of the television networks, Viacom Inc.'s CBS and News Corp. Ltd.'s Fox are both over the 35 percent cap and oppose attempts to roll back the new, higher ownership cap along with Walt Disney Co.'s ABC and General Electric Co.'s NBC.
Because of the provision, the White House has threatened to veto the $37.9 billion spending bill which includes annual funding for the FCC as well as the Commerce, Justice and State Departments.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Ltd
http://www.Reuters.com |
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