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from: FreePress

StopBigMedia.com Coalition Shocked by FCC’s Secret Timetable

Dorgan, Lott tell the FCC to ‘slow down’

WASHINGTON — The StopBigMedia.com Coalition is shocked and dismayed over news that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is secretly pushing for a vote to relax media ownership rules by Dec. 18. The FCC is reviewing longstanding regulations that forbid a company to own both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city.

“We are gravely concerned that Chairman Martin would try to secretly move on such a critical issue with such a short timetable,” said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, which coordinates the StopBigMedia Coalition. “The public is being shut out of the process so that Martin can move forward with his Big Media giveaway.”

Chairman Martin’s secret plans were uncovered during a Commerce Committee hearing yesterday by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), one of the most vocal critics of media consolidation. Sen. Dorgan has co-authored a letter with Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) to the FCC calling for a more transparent and open public review of the media ownership rules.

“We do not believe the Commission has adequately studied the impact of media consolidation,” wrote Sens. Dorgan and Lott. “The FCC should not rush forward and repeat mistakes of the past. The Commission is under considerable scrutiny with this proceeding. We strongly encourage you to slow down and proceed with caution.”

Chairman Martin has a history of working behind closed doors on behalf of big media companies. According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, the FCC consistently leaks vital information on sensitive votes and rules to corporate lobbyists and stakeholders. In contrast, the report found that consumer and public interest groups were left in the dark.

“Chairman Martin has hosted six hearings across the country, and the overwhelming majority of public testimony opposes further consolidation,” said Yolanda Hippensteele, outreach director of Free Press. “The only people who support his proposal are Rupert Murdoch, Sam Zell and a handful of other media moguls.”

Since the FCC reopened its media ownership proceeding, a series of process problems have shut out the public. The agency commissioned ten ownership studies with no public input or transparency on the studies’ authors, methodology or peer review — then gave the public a paltry 60 days to review eight months of research. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed that the research agenda was crafted with a bias towards studies supporting consolidation.

“The chairman has already decided what rule changes he wants to make — he is just going through the motions,” said Dr. Mark Cooper, director of research at Consumer Federation of America. “The FCC hasn’t even received all of the public comment in this proceeding, and Martin is already scheduling a vote.”

Last year, FOIA requests uncovered two studies buried by the FCC under then-Chairman Michael Powell showing the negative impact of consolidation. Martin promised an independent investigation, but instead turned it over to his hand-picked inspector general, a position that reports directly to the chairman’s office. Unsurprisingly, the inspector general’s report found no evidence that the studies had been intentionally suppressed.

“Chairman Martin is operating with a huge credibility deficit,” said Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press. “Every shred of evidence suggests that he has intentionally gamed the system to favor big media companies, at the expense of the public interest. He should be bending over backwards to show transparency — not pushing through disastrous rule changes with little public review.”

In 2003, Martin joined then-Chairman Powell in voting to relax some of the same media ownership rules. The Senate voted to overturn the rules, which were later tossed out in federal court in the landmark Prometheus v. FCC decision. The FCC was ordered to justify the changes and their impact on diversity and localism.

“The FCC has no clue how consolidation impacts diversity or localism,” said S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press. “The agency’s own studies missed the majority of the broadcast stations owned by women and people of color. The record is full of undeniable evidence that consolidation has a devastating impact on media diversity and localism — should the FCC take the time to review it.”

The StopBigMedia.com Coalition — representing a broad and diverse list of organizations — is gearing for another showdown with the FCC. In 2003, millions of people contacted the FCC and Congress to oppose the media ownership rule changes.

“When we let a few giant conglomerates control so many outlets, quality journalism turns into junk media, and our democracy suffers,” said Silver. “Media consolidation is a one way street and there’s no turning back.”

Letter from Sens. Dorgan and Lott:
http://www.freepress.net/docs/dorgan_lott_fcc_10.17.07.pdf