A revolt against giants.Byline: The Register-Guard By design, the House of Representatives is the institution of the federal government most closely attuned at·tune tr.v. at·tuned, at·tun·ing, at·tunes 1. To bring into a harmonious or responsive relationship: an industry that is not attuned to market demands. 2. to public opinion. President Bush should keep that in mind as he contemplates his response to Wednesday's 400-21 House vote to block a new Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. rule allowing the nation's media giants to grow even bigger. Public opinion is so strongly against the further consolidation of media control that House members of every political stripe rushed to repudiate a policy supported by a popular president. The FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. , in a partisan 3-2 vote, approved the rule in question last month. It allows a single company to own television stations reaching 45 percent of the nation's households. The House voted to rescind that rule, leaving the old 35 percent limit in place. The FCC voted to raise the cap after holding a single public hearing, but its members met with communications industry lobbyists dozens of times, often on junkets to foreign cities and luxury resorts. The rule change was presented as a response to the proliferation of cable and satellite TV offerings, as part of the wider trend toward industry deregulation Deregulation The reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry. Notes: Traditional areas that have been deregulated are the telephone and airline industries. , even as a defense of the First Amendment. The First Amendment argument is especially galling. The Constitution guarantees the right to free speech, not the right to monopolize mo·nop·o·lize tr.v. mo·nop·o·lized, mo·nop·o·liz·ing, mo·nop·o·liz·es 1. To acquire or maintain a monopoly of. 2. To dominate by excluding others: monopolized the conversation. the public airwaves. The right of free speech is essential to self-government, and it belongs to everyone - not just a few conglomerates that have bumped up against the 35 percent ceiling and want to extend their control still further. The FCC rule would allow Viacom (CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. ), News Corp. (Fox), General Electric (NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. ) and Disney (ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. ) to swallow more independent TV stations, leading to more uniformity in programming and stifling the diversity of voices the FCC should be striving to preserve. The public understood what was happening. As Wednesday's vote shows, few House members were willing to defend the FCC's gift to corporations their constituents believe already have too much power. The vote was in defiance of the House leadership, which had promised to support the Bush administration's position. All five Oregon House members voted to rescind the rule - including Republican Greg Walden, whose family owns a small broadcasting company. The Senate Commerce Committee has already approved a similar proposal, and the full Senate is likely to go along. President Bush would then have to decide whether to carry out his threat to veto the legislation. A veto would invite the wrath of interest groups ranging from the National Organization for Women to the National Rifle Association National Rifle Association (NRA) Governing organization for the sport of shooting with rifles and pistols. It was founded in Britain in 1860. The U.S. organization, formed in 1871, has a membership of some four million. Both the British and the U.S. . It would also invite an override - a bill that passes with 400 votes is veto-proof. The president should recognize that the revolt against the FCC's rule is so widespread as to be unstoppable. If Bush can't put himself at the head of the movement to restore the 35 percent limit, he should at least have the sense to get out of the way. |
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