Copps Calls For Stricter Broadcast Station License Renewal Standards - Could It Happen?

[Commentary] What's likely to happen to Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps' proposal for a Public Value Test for broadcast license renewal? This is obviously a contentious issue, and there probably is no single answer as to whether the government can force broadcasters to meet some objective public interest standard.

For broadcasters, it is good that Commissioner Copps recognizes the importance of the broadcast media, and cares about its performance. But there are significant difficulties, as recognized in the comments filed in the localism proceeding, in determining how to quantify any such obligations. One of the biggest difficulties in coming up with any objective standards to evaluate the service that broadcasters provide to their communities is the broad diversity of the broadcast community. Specific quantitative public service requirements that a TV station in New York City might be easily able to meet, might impose a crushing burden on a station in eastern Washington State, most cities in Montana or in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A Mom and Pop radio station providing the only service to a county of 10,000 in rural Nebraska is going to be able to provide a much different program service, and to have an entirely different ability to handle specific government mandates, than is a big FM in Los Angeles or Dallas. Even in these cities, a rock and roll radio station is going to be expected by its listeners to provide a wholly different experience than an all news or news talk station. Coming up with standards that try to judge the public interest value of a Senatorial election debate versus promoting a Toys for Tots collection point at a Black Eyed Peas concert in a community is a daunting task.