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What's 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 competitors.)

Big Media wants the FCC to lift the restrictions on broadcast cross-ownership and allow one company to own two or more television stations in a single market. Such changes could have a serious impact on the diversity of viewpoints and coverage of local issues in every community.

If both changes were approved, one company could potentially own the major daily newspaper, eight radio stations and three television stations in the same town. Once the digital television transition is completed in 2009 -- allowing stations to broadcast multiple signals – one company could control 12 or even 18 television channels in a single city.

Learn more:

• What does the FCC do?
• What rules might change?
• What happened in 2003?
• How does Big Media affect you?