Re: [IRCA] "Deception and Distrust: The FCC Under Chairman Kevin J. Martin"

["George Magiros" <submodd@xxxxxxxxx>]

If you want to see what's happening behind the scenes at the FCC I can think
of no one better than Mr. Copps to explain it.  I went to the December 2007
hearing where he read this statement below and it was truly amazing.
Please read Mr. Martin's statement to get the other side too.
George KC2SCI

Mr. Copps:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-279035A3.pdf
Mr. Martin:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-278932A2.pdf

STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS
CONCUR IN PART, DISSENT IN PART

Re: Promoting Diversification of Ownership in the Broadcasting Services et
al,
Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, MB Docket
Nos. 07-294, 06-121, 02-277, 01-235, 01-317, 00-244 and 04-228

Today's decision would make George Orwell proud. We claim to be giving the
news industry a shot in the arm—but the real effect is to reduce total
newsgathering. We
shed crocodile tears for the financial plight of newspapers—yet the truth is
that
newspaper profits are about double the S&P 500 average. We pat ourselves on
the back
for holding six field hearings across the United States—yet today's decision
turns a deaf
ear to the thousands of Americans who waited in long lines for an open mike
to testify
before us. We say we have closed loopholes—yet we have introduced new ones.
We say
we are guided by public comment—yet the majority's decision is
overwhelmingly
opposed by the public as demonstrated in our record and in public opinion
surveys. We
claim the mantle of scientific research—even as the experts say we've asked
the wrong
questions, used the wrong data, and reached the wrong conclusions.

I am not the only one disturbed by this illogical scenario. Congress and the
American people have done everything but march down to Southwest DC and
physically
shake some sense into us. Everywhere we go, the questions are the same: Why
are we
rushing to encourage more media merger frenzy when we haven't addressed the
demonstrated harms caused by previous media merger frenzy? Women and
minorities
own low single-digit per centages of America's broadcast outlets and big
consolidated
media continues to slam the door in their faces. It's going to take some
major policy
changes and a coordinated strategy to fix that. Don't look for that from
this Commission.
Instead we are told to be content with baby steps to help women and
minorities—
but the fine print shows that the real beneficiaries will be small
businesses owned by
white men. So even as it becomes abundantly clear that the real cause of the
disenfranchisement of women and minorities is media consolidation, we give
the green
light to a new round of—yes, you guessed it—media consolidation.

Local news, local music and local groups so often get shunted aside when big
media comes to town. Commissioner Adelstein and I have heard the plaintive
voices of
thousands of citizens all across this land in dozens of town meetings and
public forums.
>From newscasters fired by chain owners with corporate headquarters thousands
of miles
away to local musicians and artists denied airtime because of big media's
homogenization of our music and our culture. From minorities reeling from
the way big
media ignores their issues and caricatures them as people to women saying
the only way
to redress their grievances is to give them a shot to compete for use of the
people's
airwaves. From public interest advocates fighting valiantly for a return of
localism and
diversity to small, independent broadcasters who fight an uphill battle to
preserve their
independence. It will require tough rules of the road to redress our
localism and diversity
gaps. Do you see any such rules being passed today? To the idea that license
holders
should give the American people high quality programming in return for free
use of the
public airwaves, the majority answers that we need more study of problems
that have
been documented and studied to death for a decade and more. Today's outcome
is the
same old same old: one more time, we're running the fast-break for our big
media friends
and the four corner stall for the public interest.

It is time for the American people to understand the game that's being
played
here. Big media doesn't want to tell the full story, of course, but I have
heard first-hand
from editorial page editors who have told me they can cover any story, save
one—media
consolidation, and that they have been instructed to stay away from that
one. But that's
another story.

Today's story is a majority decision unconnected to good policy and not even
incidentally concerned with encouraging media to make our democracy
stronger. We are
not concerned with gathering valid data, conducting good research, or
following the facts
where they lead us.

Our motivations are less Olympian and our methodology far simpler—we
generously ask big media to sit on Santa's knee, tell us what it wants for
Christmas, and
then push through whatever of these wishes are politically and practically
feasible. No
test to see if anyone's been naughty or nice. Just another big, shiny
present for the
favored few who already hold an FCC license—and a lump of coal for the rest
of us.
Happy holidays!

....
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