The Federal Uncommunicative Commission

From time to time, the staff of this newspaper gets together to review our mission. New notes emerge over time, but one baseline constant is our commitment to providing readers with the information they need to vote, and make other civic decisions, in a fully informed and well-reasoned manner.

A democracy is only as good as the information available to the people. In any society in which that information is controlled by a small group, the ruler of that society is not the people—elections notwithstanding—but the group that controls the information.

That is why, as a newspaper, one national issue on which we take a strong stance is that of media consolidation. Since the Reagan deregulation in the early 1980s, but especially since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the dissemination of information in this country has increasingly fallen into the hands of a few multinational corporations.

There is currently a struggle in this nation between those who believe that a diverse and competitive media environment is key to the survival of democracy, and those who seek to consolidate the power of that tiny group. The former won a significant victory in 2003, when they thwarted a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulemaking that would have increased the percentage of any market controlled by a single-media company from 35 to 45 percent. It would also have eased regulations on cross-ownership of newspapers and television stations. What blocked the rulemaking was a veritable tsunami of comments from over three million citizens, who flooded the FCC and Congress with their objections. Following this feedback, Congress passed legislation voiding the FCC decision, and a court ruled that the FCC had not adequately justified its new rules.

The victory was not absolute: in 2004, a compromise was reached that would raise the limit on the percentage of any market dominated by one company to 39 percent—by some strange coincidence, the level that allowed media giants Viacom and News Corporation (FOX) to keep all their stations.

The eternal game of whack-a-mole continues today. The FCC has again proposed a rulemaking to loosen the ban on newspapers owning television stations in the same market, and vice versa, opening the door to yet more consolidation. In a replay of 2003, the agency is trying to rush through the rule at the last minute, with minimal time for the public or political opponents to respond and as little publicity as possible. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin plans to bring the matter to a vote on Tuesday, December 18.

Grassroots resistance worked last time, and it’s worth trying again. There is only one small problem. The FCC has made commenting awfully confusing this time around.

To check it out, we visited fcc.gov, scrolled down to “Strategic Goals” in the left-hand navigation column, then clicked on “Media ownership” under the subhead “Media.” We found ourselves on a page last updated in 12/29/06, which refers to rulemakings made in 2006 and a comment period ending last January. Clicking “learn more about how to file a comment” took us to another page referring to 2006 rulemakings and a January 2007 deadline. We called the phone number at the bottom of the page to try to find something more current, but were cut off after a 15-minute wait. It was only by calling the office of Congressman Maurice Hinchey (Sullivan County’s representative, and a leader in the fight against media consolidation) that we got our hands on a press release that gave us a few clues, allowing us to sniff out the text of the 2007 rulemaking and find a place to comment on it. We share our findings with you in the information box below.

We know that if some of you submit comments, they won’t necessarily agree with our position. That’s fine. What isn’t fine is that the FCC, either through boneheaded incompetence or deliberate guile, has put roadblocks in the way of a repeat of 2003’s torrent of feedback. We hope a few of you will take the time to let them know that it’s not that easy to make the American people shut up.

(You can find out more about media consolidation at a meeting to be held by Sullivan Peace and Justice at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 1 at the Liberty Free Theatre in Liberty, NY.)

How to submit a comment to the FCC

Comments on the 2007 rulemaking on newspaper/broadcast cross ownership will be accepted until Tuesday, December 11. The text may be found at fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Orders/2001/fcc0126.txt. To comment, go to gullfoss2.fcc.gov/ecfs/Upload/ , and select “Media Ownership Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking—Docket 06-121.” This will take you to an interface with boxes in which you can enter your name, address and comments.

Also in this issue:

• School board should find a solution closer to home

Dr. Punnybone