Real media reform needed.Congress and the 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. are bickering bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. over regulations governing media ownership. 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. commissioners this summer eased restrictions on how many broadcast television stations one company could own nationwide, and allowed newspaper owners to purchase a television station in the same city. The pro-regulation crowd was swift to condemn the decison. Diverse consumers do want "diversity," including "localism lo·cal·ism n. 1. a. A local linguistic feature. b. A local custom or peculiarity. 2. Devotion to local interests and customs. ," among their media choices. But competition, not "public interest" regulation, is the only way to ensure these choices reflect the values and tastes of consumers rather than bureaucrats and special-interests. To that end, the FCC's action was a positive step for consumers. In an age of cable, satellite, DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. and Internet, greater opportunities for horizontal and vertical integration can enable the media dinosaurs to diversify their offerings. But real media reform would encompass other measures: End suppression of microradio--"Diversity, localism and competition" could start by reversing the Radio Broadcasting The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. Preservation Act. That act overturned the FCC's modest attempt in 1999 to license low-power "microradio" broadcasters. It cut in half the small number of low-power licenses and barred FCC from eliminating or reducing the "minimum distance separations" between stations on the radio dial. Given advances in technology, that unnecessarily limits the number of new stations. Roll back the digital television mandate--Besides giving away a huge, valuable, swath of spectrum to the very corporations they now worry are becoming too powerful, the federal mandates increase the costs of maintaining a broadcast station by upwards of $1 million. This anti-competitive barrier to entry crowds out smaller stations, the ones that typically offer more diverse and local content. Kill the death tax--Family-owned local media, whether they be daily newspapers or television stations, are at a distinct disadvantage with national or international corporations. Corporations never die; people do. So, once each generation a family has half its capital confiscated con·fis·cate tr.v. con·fis·cat·ed, con·fis·cat·ing, con·fis·cates 1. To seize (private property) for the public treasury. 2. To seize by or as if by authority. See Synonyms at appropriate. adj. by government. Any one of these institutional reforms would do more to bring about true competition. But will anyone in the Beltway do anything about them? |
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