Do Home Shopping stations serve the Public Interest?

DO HOME SHOPPING STATIONS SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
In 1993, the FCC ruled that television broadcast stations that are used predominantly for the transmission of sales presentations or program length commercials (such as home shopping stations) serve the public interest and are therefore qualified for mandatory cable carriage. The Center for the Study of Commercialism (CSC) filed a petition for reconsideration of that order. On Friday the Commission released a Public Notice because it would like to update the record for this proceeding before ruling on the petition. The Commission seeks comment on issued raised in CSC's petition. CSC argues that the Commission failed to consider in its public interest analysis the significant amount of commercial programming broadcast by home shopping stations. The Commission is also seeking comment on the specific issues concerning how home shopping stations serve the people in their communities, including the elderly and homebound who may have no way to lose their life savings other than spending it on QVC. CSC asserts that the Commission failed to consider information relevant to the second statutory factor, i.e., competing demands for the spectrum. Specifically, CSC claims that the Commission failed to consider evidence regarding Congressional intent that the Commission consider non-broadcast uses for the television broadcast spectrum, such as those of police and fire departments. Finally, given the passage of time since the Report and Order was adopted, we seek comment on the current number of broadcast stations that provide home shopping programs for the majority of their broadcast day. How do home shopping stations meet their public interest obligations? In particular, how do they comply with the requirements of the Children's Television Act of 1990 and licensees' obligation to provide coverage of issues facing their communities?
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-2005A1.doc