The U.S. Senate voted 55 to 40 Tuesday to overturn the Federal Communication Commission’s recent media ownership rules.
Senate Resolution 17, sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, aims to reverse new media conglomeration regulations issued by the FCC June 2. The Senate employed a little used legislative tool to overturn the FCC’s new regulations.
Recent rules allowed a single company to own up to 45 percent of a national television audience, under the old “national cap” permitted only 35 percent.
The FCC also said a company could own up to three television stations, a newspaper and eight radio stations in the nation’s largest media markets, known as cross-ownership.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans, as well as nearly 150 members of Congress including Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, urged the FCC to delay its action.
“[Local media is] already struggling to compete with better-funded national outlets and national programming,” Feingold said. “[They] need our help, not the frontal assault on independent media that the new FCC rules represent. The American people, and only the American people, own the airwaves.”
Opponents of the rules voiced concern over the prospect that a handful of media giants could control most of the country’s media use, including what they watch on television, hear on the radio and read in the newspaper.
“I hope that the FCC will now understand how serious we are in Congress about this issue,” Feingold added.
Feingold accused the FCC of completely ignoring the “will of the American people” and taking an entirely wrong stance on the issue.
Others expressed concern over the possibility of mass media consolidation that would limit news sources and affect objectivity.
“I fear that if these rules go into effect, we may witness a wave of consolidation in the media industry,” Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) said. “These mergers would likely reduce the number of news sources, especially in our smaller cities, and therefore endanger the variety of viewpoints available in our communities.”
Kohl was undecided until today’s vote. He said the FCC’s proposed rules were “an honest attempt” to address the new economics of a changing media industry, but unfortunately, they challenge America’s democratic ideals. He ultimately voted against the FCC’s enactment to protect the diversity of the marketplace of ideas.
FCC Chairman Michael Powell championed the FCC’s new rules, arguing that consolidation is less a threat now than when they were first enacted. Powell said consumers would have more choices for news and entertainment.
The bipartisan resolution passed by an overwhelming majority, despite a veto threat from President Bush. The resolution will now go before the House of Representatives to face another vote. It must pass the House and be signed by the President before taking effect.
Several other pieces of legislation also aim to roll back additional sections of the regulations.
