FCC Seeks Public Comment on Media Ownership Rules

The FCC is soliciting public comments as part of a Congressionally mandated review of media ownership rules. The agency said its review would focus on whether the current rules successfully promoted the agency's goals of competition, localism and diversity. The ownership rules have been the subject of fierce debate in each of the FCC's previous review processes.

The FCC plans to closely examine the impact of ownership consolidation on competition in media markets. As a result of the recent wave of media consolidation and the explosion of cross-platform products, the Communications Workers of America firmly supports strong rules that apply industry-wide. Bernard Lunzer, President of The Newspaper Guild-CWA asks:

"Will cross-platform products that roll up current broadcast and print be the salvation? There is no evidence of this and all current consolidations seem to point in the opposite direction. Most consolidations are being done for efficiencies and that means less content, fewer journalists and less diversity in both content and staff."

James Joyce, president of NABET-CWA, called on the FCC to review these consolidations and require broadcasters to publically disclose that they are running stories gathered by other stations under Shared Services Agreements and Local News Services. He testified:

"We believe that these new forms of consolidation, without hearings, without discussion, largely without FCC review or approval, are bad for our industry, bad for the public, a bad use of the public airwaves and do not serve the public interest."

FCC Releases Notice of Inquiry on its Media Ownership Rules