FCC's McDowell Sees More Media Rules Under Dems

Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell said he expects big changes for media if Sen Barack Obama (D-IL) is elected president. Commissioner McDowell said new regulations on media could include rules that local broadcasters staff their stations 24 hours a day, year round to make sure they cover disasters or other important breaking local news. The idea behind the proposal is to stress the role of local news in communities -- a principle championed by some Democrats at the agency and in Congress. "In my view, this is a more competitive media marketplace than ever before," he said. "As eyeballs and ears and ad dollars are going elsewhere, do we really need to be heaping more regulation on an industry that is seeing steadily declining top line revenue?"