Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Powell Whines About His Media Bill

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 15:51:03 -0400

Following Senate passage of S.J. Res. 17,
 Federal Communications Commission
 Chairman Michael K. Powell issued the
 following statement:

“This resolution, if passed by the House and signed by the president, would only
muddy the media regulatory waters. It would bring no clarity to media regulation,
only chaos. It would create perverse results, such as a return to looser radio
rules permitting greater consolidation. This is a harm the FCC’s new media rules
were designed to avoid.  It would also reinstate ownership rules that were
overturned by the courts.  Under the terms of the resolution, the FCC would be
forbidden from reissuing any substantially similar rules.  In short the agency
would be powerless to cure the infirmities identified by the court.  

“What is most important is to have the best policies for the American people.  I
hope the House will take a more considered view of the public interest.”

- FCC - 

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-238956A1.doc

Senate Votes to Reverse New Media Rules
By Jeremy Pelofsky

September 16, 2003 

WASHINGTON

(Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Tuesday defied opposition
from the Bush administration and voted 55-40 to rescind new regulations allowing
large media companies to grow even bigger. 

Fearing fewer viewpoints and decreasing local news coverage, 12 Republicans joined
most of the Democrats to back a resolution that would undo rules narrowly adopted
by the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) in
June. 

Those rules would allow television networks to own more local stations and
permitting a company to own a newspaper, television stations and radio outlets in
a single market. 

The FCC (news - web sites) rules do "not protect the localism and the diversity,
particularly in the newspaper-television market," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
(news, bio, voting record), Republican from Texas. 

The resolution of disapproval faces a tougher battle in the U.S. House of
Representatives and a threat of a veto by President Bush (news - web sites) if it
reaches his desk. It would take 67 votes in the Senate to override a presidential
veto. 

"I know of no plans to bring it up," House Speaker Dennis Hastert's spokesman John
Feehery said of the resolution. 

The House has already passed a bill that would prevent the FCC from spending money
to enforce its new national television cap for a year, and the Senate is expected
to follow. The White House has threatened to also veto that measure. 

After ordered by an appeals court to better justify its media ownership rules, the
three FCC Republican commissioners approved the new regulations, which would allow
television networks to own local stations that collectively reach 45 percent of
the national audience, up from 35 percent. 

The new rules would also permit one company to own a newspaper, a television
station and several radio stations in a single market, lifting a decades-old ban
on cross-ownership. A company would also be permitted to own two local television
stations in more local markets. 

The regulations were drawn up under the leadership of FCC Chairman Michael Powell,
who argued the relaxed limits were necessary to reflect the proliferation of
cable, satellite television and the Internet offerings as well as preserve
over-the-air broadcast television. 

"That disapproval resolution absolutely muddies the media regulatory waters,"
Powell said in a telephone interview ahead of the vote. He added that if Congress
did not like the new rules, it should give the agency better guidance "and not
these odd anti-votes that only cloud the picture." 

Television networks like Viacom Inc.'s CBS and News Corp.'s Fox contended they
need to acquire more local stations to compete against cable and satellite
television services. 

But the changes have drawn fire from a slew of critics ranging from the National
Rifle Association to Consumers Union as well as Democrats and Republicans in
Congress. 

"If we allow the limited broadcast spectrum to be controlled by a handful of
companies, how can we maintain the free marketplace of ideas?" said Sen. Tom
Daschle, the Senate Democratic leader. 

A federal appeals court in Philadelphia has already put the new FCC rules on hold,
pending judicial review. The judges plan to hear arguments in early November.

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