illustration by Yoly Stroeve

Media Regulation & The FCC

In the U.S., television, radio, telephone, cable, cell phone and satellite media are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent government agency established by the Communications Act of 1934 to manage the public airwaves and ensure telecommunications services "in the public interest." In this context, the public interest refers to a set of media rules that increase diversity, competition and localism (e.g. local coverage and accountability to audiences). The FCC is directly accountable to Congress, and though you may know little to nothing about them, the FCC is directly accountable to you.

Once every 8 years, the FCC grants practically free licenses to TV and radio station owners in exchange for the station's agreement to serve their communities' needs. Though the FCC has the power to fine stations or revoke licenses if they violate FCC rules, they rarely do - despite hundreds of license challenges by the public.

The FCC also regulates media ownership, including how many stations one company can own in each region (or market area), and determines the ability of companies to cross-own media in different genres, such as radio stations and daily newspapers. They can also commission studies on trends in media ownership and diversity. Print media is generally held to standards set by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

There are five FCC commissioners, all appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. In 2004, President Bush appointed Kevin Martin as FCC Chairman. Though the first amendment guarantees the right to a free press and freedom of speech, the profit and power motives of corporate media have historically prevented this kind of freedom from being applied fairly to all people, and the FCC - despite being tasked with ensuring media meets the public interest - has repeatedly failed to level the playing field.

A Call to Action
The public has the right to media regulation that brings about a fair, diverse and publicly accountable media system. But, because of structural racism, sexism and class inequality, communities of color, youth and others must mobilize to demand that the FCC create and enforce policies that: 1) increase public media ownership, such as reducing the length of time companies can hold broadcast licenses from 8 years to 4 years, and 2) conduct regular studies on the prevalence of media owned by people of color, women, and other historically under-represented groups in order to ensure media diversity.

RESOURCES:

Get to know your FCC commissioners:

Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, has served as a commissioner since 2001. He was named chairman by President Bush in March 2005, following the departure of Michael Powell, son of former secretary of state Colin Powell.

Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat, has served as a commissioner since 2001. Copps actively opposed the corporate-friendly loosening of ownership rules in 2003, and worked to ensure that the public's voice was heard. Since joining the FCC, Copps has supported public participation in media policy debates. Along with Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, Copps has appeared at public hearings across the country to hear public input on FCC decisions.

Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat, has served as a commissioner since 2002. Adelstein also opposed the attempts to weaken ownership rules in 2003, traveling with Commissioner Copps across the country to hear input from citizens on the proposed rule changes.

Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, a Republican, was sworn in as a commissioner in January 2006, and has expressed discomfort with "restraining the market power."  This could signal support for weakening crucial ownership regulations.

Commissioner Robert McDowell, a Republican, was sworn in June 2006. A former lobbyist for Comptel (a trade group that represents smaller phone companies that compete with AT&T and Verizon), he has spent the past 15 years lobbying Congress and the FCC on behalf of telecommunications companies.

RELATED ACTIONS:

http://action.centerformediajustice.org/actions

[Many thanks to FreePress.net for background and resources in this area.]

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