Whats Going on at the FCC?
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin wants to change the rules to let Big Media get even bigger. On June 21, 2006, Martin issued a draft proposal — called a Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making, or FNPRM — that kick-started Big Media’s latest effort to weaken the rules protecting local voices, vibrant competition and diverse viewpoints. The text of the proposal is vague but its intent is clear: To let a handful of giant media corporations swallow up more local television channels, radio stations and newspapers in a single market. Big Media and Martin are especially eager to eliminate two key protections: • The rule on “newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership,” which prevents companies from owning a television or radio station and the major daily newspaper in the same area. • The local ownership caps that limit a company from owning more than one television station in most markets. (They can own two in larger markets as long as there are at least eight other competito
