Saturday, November 10, 2007

FCC hearing in fog of night

Hello GE readers I'm so glad your still here. STILL working on the podcast, the new You tube video, who has the time in between shuffling kids to piano, archery, dance, and choir, the jobs, the regular workouts which now include pilates and yoga (to keep my sanity of course!) and regular quality family time?!! Well, I am trying. There's so much Emerging in the Emergence as well! And why is it that FREE SPEECH and Big media are at the cornerstone of all this? Well because if we need to awaken others to the social injustices of others and the planet and regaining personal sovereignty through ACTION we certainly need a free and open press! That is why it was given to the PUBLIC trust not the Government trust. Having spent 21 years in radio, I know full well how things have changed and the last stand is upon us now. So inform yourself and pay attention. We are at a critical juncture. Net Neurality- the ability for you to read this blog and any others you wish to is at stake as well as the dwindling ownership of TV, Newspapers and Television. We now get ALOT of our information as Americans from a very, very, very few powerful corporations/ideals. Don't always believe what you see and hear over and over and over again. Trust your gut or better yet- turn it off until the battle is won. Comments are open for posting if you have ?? I'd be happy to answer them as best I can- Jill


Sens. Dorgan and Lott Announce Bipartisan Bill to Halt FCC Rush to Relax Ownership Rules

From Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), November 9, 2007

U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Trent Lott (R-MS) will introduce legislation later today to halt the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “fast march” toward easing media ownership rules.

“We believe localism and diversity of media ownership is vital in a democracy,” Senator Dorgan said. “Our bill recognizes the importance of a wide range of media owners and local content, and requires a process that does not rush past those concerns to open the gates for even more consolidation of media ownership. We believe there is value to local ownership in the media.”

“Communities count on getting their local news from their locally-owned television stations and weekly and daily newspapers,” Senator Lott said. “They know ‘locally-owned’ means they’re invested in their communities and care about their well-being. If the FCC won’t do their job to keep East and West coast media conglomerates from pushing out these local voices, then there is a role for the Congress to play.”

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will announce proposed new rules for media ownership perhaps as early as next week, and have the FCC vote on them by December 18.

“The Media Ownership Act of 2007” would require 90 days for the public to comment on any proposed media ownership rules put forward by the FCC. It would also require the FCC to complete a separate proceeding to evaluate how localism is affected by media consolidation. The bill would require that the public have an opportunity to comment on that proceeding during a 90 day public comment period. The bill states that the localism proceeding must be done separately and be completed prior to a vote on proposed media ownership rules.

Finally, the bill requires establishment of an independent panel on female and minority ownership and for the FCC to provide the panel with accurate data on female and minority ownership. This panel must issue recommendations and the FCC must act on them prior to voting on any proposed ownership rules.

The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Senators Barack Obama (D-IL), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), John Kerry (D-MA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

This article is from Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.). If you found it informative and valuable, we strongly encourage you to visit their Web site and register an account, if necessary, to view all their articles on the Web. Support quality journalism.

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