Posted on 02/12/2009 4:59:30 AM PST by Man50D
Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps says he doesn’t support bringing back the controversial Fairness Doctrine, but he does think government has a role in enforcing media “diversity.”
That role includes re-examining licensing and other regulations for radio stations -- including AM stations dominated by talk radio -- to make them “more reflective” of public interests.
Copps, chosen by President Barack Obama to be acting chairman until a permanent replacement is named, said that he thought the Fairness Doctrine – a policy that critics say amounts to censorship – was an old fight that “didn’t need to be rehashed.”
“That’s kind of yesterday’s fight,” Copps told CNSNews.com. “I understand the goals behind it. I understand that the legislative intent is still there to make sure that our airwaves serve the public interest. (But) I don’t think the best way to get there is to just to rehash something nobody agreed about, even back in the 1950’s.”
Copps, however, said that we still need to find a way to make radio broadcasts more “reflective” of the public. Copps also said he thought the decision ultimately rested with Congress, not the FCC.
“What I’ve always said, and this is always obviously up to the discretion of Congress, not the FCC, whether we do or we don’t, to me we have to find a way to make radio reflect the public interest,” Copps explained.
However, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit ruled in 1986 that imposition of the Fairness Doctrine was in fact at the discretion of the FCC. In Telecommunications Research and Action Center v. FCC, the Court ruled that “the FCC is free to implement this requirement by reasonable rules and regulations.”
The acting chairman, meanwhile, said that some of those rules and regulations would include new licensing requirements that focus on public interest and station ownership:
CNSNews.com: Do you support expanding those rules, those public interest requirements, and ownership regulations and the licensing and things like that? Do you support expanding that to higher power FM and maybe AM stations?
Michael Copps, acting FCC chairman: Well, I’m on the record saying I’m going to look at how we put public interest considerations and guidelines back into licensing for full power stations. I think that’s something we need.
Copps also said that the past two decades of broadcasting had been marred by excessive corporate consolidation and “mindless deregulation” that had damaged localism and diversity.
“How do we ensure true localism in our broadcast environment, especially in light of the damage that has been inflicted upon that environment by two decades of excessive media consolidation and mindless deregulation of the public interest?” Copps asked in an address to the Future of Music Coalition, a Washington, D.C. gathering of music industry leaders.
Copps said that the new political climate marked a new opportunity to remake the nation’s airwaves so that they can better reflect the country’s diversity.
“I think we have a tremendous opportunity going forward to reinvigorate our media,” Copps effused, “to ensure that the public airwaves truly deliver the kind of news and information that we need to sustain our democratic dialogue and to reflect the great diversity of our country; its races and ethnic groups and culture and music and arts.
“I for one, and I know you too, want to make sure that these goals that you and I have worked so hard for remain front and center in the national agenda.”
Copps compared the effects of unregulated radio broadcasts to the economic damage caused by the nation’s mortgage crisis, saying everybody could see the harm markets could do.
“All one needs to do is look at the nation’s ailing financial sector to understand that you cannot just proceed pell-mell in the happy notion that markets will solve all problems,” Copps declared.
“Sometimes, and I think we all know this, markets create problems, and boy have they created some whoppers this time,” he said. “Sometimes we need the government to step in and provide some oversight and some public accountability and if we learn one lesson from our present national crisis, that ought to be it. I don’t really understand how anyone can come to any other conclusion.”
Copps said that when markets fail to produce a media which reflects the country’s diversity, government must step in.
“If markets cannot produce what society really cares about, like a media that reflects the true diversity and spirit of our country, then government has a legitimate role to play,” he said.
Yes, but it is not Boetcker’s birthday.....
People still think of radio in 1970s terms. Any Censorship doctrine will create an endless network of floating, unlicensed radion stations that will flood the airwaves with conservative talk. All you need is a van, a transmitter, and WiFi access. Alternately, a memory stick or CD and 42 cents postage. What Obama needs to worry about are floating jammers. Same van, less trouble, jamming Marxist Radio as they roll through every town in the country. Technology makes a Fairness Doctrine obsolete.
What makes this clown think that society is unhappy with the radio?
Translation: The name, “Fairness Doctrine” has negative connotations, so when we reinstate it, we will call it something else.
I am especially wary of FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstien who got his appointment through Tom Daschle. Adelstien is a staunch advocate of taxing Internet access to give it way free to the "under served" as well as re-imposing the "Fairness Doctrine".
Fairness Docterine bump for later.........
Ping
Fine. Let’s just close it all down, radios for no one. The LIB stuff will fail just as it always has. We are not so desperate as to listen to the radio just ‘cause it’s there. Freakin’ morons.
““If markets cannot produce what society really cares about,..”
The mantra of every Marxist.
1. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not "markets"; they are government entities designed to transfer mortgage risk to taxpayers. 2. Markets don't exist to solve problems or meet needs, but to exchange value and generate wealth. 3. The "airwaves" are not publicly-owned, but licensed. Public "ownership" of anything results in rationing, poor management, and bad quality; ask any ex-Communist. Too bad Obama's administration is not staffed by any ex-Communists.
We already have that, it’s called changing the channel. It’s not our fault that their moonbats won’t listen to NPR and others.
If you don't do that, you are actually trying to decrease diversity.
This multi-culturalism and diversity push is getting out of hand. So, we’re not allowed to listen to someone who dissents unless we also listen to someone who toes the party line? What crap is that? I don’t want to listen to communists, because what they say is inherently bad. Will we see a situation where we have to look at porn in order to also look at a work of classical art? That’s where we’re heading.
““If markets cannot produce what society really cares about, like a media that reflects the true diversity and spirit of our country, then government has a legitimate role to play,” he said.”
That’s government speak for “the liberals in the media are not making enough money or have a big enough market share because no one really wants to listen to them, so the government is going to take care of that and reduce the number of Conservative’s in the media.”
That’s the only way you can look at it. Air America is on life support and needs to be unplugged. Rush is commanding an audience of 20 million a week and that is making the “regulators” very unhappy. They want to force people to listen to liberals, even if it’s at the point of a gun.
COMRADE COPPS... Which part of CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW did you NOT understand at POLITICIAN SCHOOL???
This is USA not USSR.. and people like you Are not going to change it.
**They want to force people to listen to liberals, even if it’s at the point of a gun.**
Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve listened to about 10 minutes of LIBERAL RADIO.
If I am forced to listen to Liberal radio... it WILL be at the point of a gun... and my gun will GO OFF either at the one holding the gun on me or at my own head.. to put me OUT of MY MISERY.
This is bad.
But next time we have a Republican administration we need to restrain Republicans who want to censor. This is too easy a sell now since it doesn’t look to the outsider like a big change.
Punishing a local station because Janet Jackson’s top comes off during the super bowl was an important step on th4e slippery slope that threatens now to fall on our heads.
Seems like this Capps doesn't quite endorse the Fairness Doctrine, but rather Affirmative Action for the broadcastersThanks justiceseeker93, good call.
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