Commissioner Adelstein Answers Your Questions

Posted October 23rd, 2007 by Josh Stearns

Last night, more than 100 people logged on to the new Free Press Action Network to talk with FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. The conversation came just days after the New York Times revealed that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin was fast-tracking sweeping changes in media ownership rules.

Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein

People asked in-depth questions about strategy for stopping media consolidation and making change at the FCC. Others inquired about the nitty-gritty details of certain policies and structures within the agency. One commenter seemed thrilled to be getting his questions answered, writing apologetically to Commissioner Adelstein, “Sorry for the many questions, by the way, but it’s not very easy to find this information just through a web search. I really appreciate your willingness to answer them.”

A number of people invited Commissioner Adelstein and the FCC to their city or state, calling on them to hold more hearings in more places. He agreed that there are many communities throughout America that haven’t had a chance to weigh in about the media in their area. “The six hearings the Chairman has committed to do, with five under our belt, are totally inadequate,” he said. “I observed in L.A. that we could do six in that little town alone! We haven’t yet visited any truly rural areas. We have left out vast swaths of America.”

The Commissioner listened carefully to concerns about the FCC’s handling of everything from logistics at hearings to the process for submitting comments online. Offering advice and encouragement, Commissioner Adelstein invited everyone to make their voices heard at the FCC and in Congress, suggesting that there has never been a more important moment to speak up for a more local, diverse, and competitive media.

All in all, it was a rich discussion with new insight into the goings-on at the FCC and lots of ideas for people to take action in their own communities. If you missed it, you can still read the discussion and participate in next week’s session with Commissioner Michael Copps.

Don’t forget to take a minute to take action: Call on Congress to hold the FCC accountable, and stop Chairman Martin from gutting media ownership rules: http://action.freepress.net/campaign/fcc_oversight

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.