Want to tell the FCC What You Think of the Comcast-NBC Merger? Come to Chicago
Posted July 1st, 2010 by Nick Russo
If you’re outraged by the proposed Comcast takeover of NBC-Universal and live anywhere near Chicago, you’ll have a chance to personally tell the Federal Communications Commission next week.
On July 13, the FCC will hold a public forum at Northwestern University Law School to discuss the potential implications of the merger on our media landscape. If you’re in the area, be sure to attend and speak out. The meeting is open to the public and will feature two panel discussions and a two-hour block of time dedicated to citizen commentary.
Ultimately, this merger will result in higher prices for consumers, fewer Internet freedoms and a lack of diverse voices in our broadcast media. Additionally, Comcast has hired a battalion of lobbyists to do their bidding in Washington to get this merger approved (while they meet behind closed doors with the FCC in talks to kill Net Neutrality). To make matters worse, many of these lobbyists are themselves former government officials, and some even worked as aides to FCC Commissioners.
In 2007, the FCC held a similar forum in Chicago on the topic of media ownership rules, and over a thousand Chicago citizens showed up – some waiting in line until 2 a.m. to talk face-to-face with the FCC. However, Comcast has a history of underhanded tactics designed to silence the public. In 2008, Comcast hired people off the street to fill up an FCC hearing and keep the public out.
Comcast already dominates much of the media market in Chicago, and swallowing NBC would further limit the scope and viewpoints Comcast promotes. The statistics regarding local and minority ownership across the United States are, to state it plainly, bleak. According to a 2007 report by Free Press, women comprise 51 percent of the entire U.S. population, but own less than 6 percent of all full-power commercial television stations.
In Chicago, 51.5 percent of the population is female, yet there are no full-power commercial television stations in Chicago that are owned by women. According to 2000 census information, 36.8% of people in Chicago are Black and 26% are of Hispanic or Latino origin, but only one commercial TV station is minority owned and operated. Clearly, there is a lack of representation of women and people of color in the media available in Chicago.
Both Comcast and NBC have woeful records when it comes to diversity, and it’s not a far leap to say they will certainly not be fit to serve the public interest if they cannot represent minorities and women in their corporate structure. And NBC lacks significantly in its programming geared toward minorities.
Diversity is something which Chicago’s citizens can boast about, but we should roast Comcast and NBC on their incompetence in representing the diverse communities they are required to serve.
The FCC hearing in 2007 featured prominent speakers from media organizations as well as members of the public who were not afraid to ask the big questions and take a stand against the FCC and demand better media. Let’s make this hearing an even bigger success and let the FCC know we don’t support this merger. They’re giving us this opportunity, so we shouldn’t let it pass us by. You can get more information by going to www.StopBigMedia.com and www.FreePress.net/Comcast.
