Senate Votes to Block FCC's Media Ownership Rule Change

On Thursday night, the US Senate voted, without debate, to invalidate the Federal Communications Commission's Dec. 18 decision to loosen the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule. The measure passed on a voice vote. "The Senate spoke for a huge majority of Americans tonight by voting to overturn the flawed FCC decision gutting our long-standing ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership," said Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Michael Copps, an opponent of the relaxation. "With courageous leaders like Sen. Byron Dorgan, the Senate has struck a blow for localism and diversity in a media environment crying out for more of both." FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told reporters recently that he was sensitive to the input of Congress on the issue, but he thought it was "important to update our rules to reflect a changing media marketplace, and particularly the fact that the newspaper rule had not been changed since it was put in place in 1978 and the newspaper industry was in significant financial distress. But, obviously, the Commission will follow the law as it is ultimately enacted," he added. The resolution now must be voted on by the House. The Bush administration reiterated Thursday that it supported the FCC's move, opposed the resolution, and would likely veto it. Late Thursday, it had been looking like bills and debate on other matters would push the media-ownership debate into Friday or Monday, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stepped in to clear the way for the resolution's passage Thursday night. Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, which coordinates the StopBigMedia.com Coalition, said: "Today's historic Senate vote is a resounding victory for the vast majority of Americans who oppose media consolidation. We applaud the bipartisan leadership of Senators Dorgan and Snowe for acting in the public interest. But to stop Big Media from polluting our local airwaves with more junk journalism and propaganda, we need the House to move this legislation forward quickly. At this watershed moment, public outrage against Big Media has reached a breaking point. The Bush administration's threats to undercut this bipartisan effort in Congress show how out of touch this president is with the will of the American people. But we’re not going to stand idly by and let the White House green light Big Media's expansion. The great pendulum of political change is swinging away from corrosive consolidation and toward better media."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6561506.html?rssid=193

Sen Dorgan's press release
http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=297937