Save Access

from: Washington Post

The FCC and Media Ownership Rulemaking

From Associated Press, January 25, 2007

— A look at how the Federal Communications Commission has dealt with writing new rules for ownership of broadcast stations:

_ June 2, 2003: The commission votes 3-2 to ease broadcast ownership rules. The three Republicans, including Kevin Martin, are in favor. The two Democrats, Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps, are opposed.

_ Aug. 20, 2003: After a public backlash against the decision, FCC Chairman Michael Powell announces the creation of a “Localism Task Force” to conduct public hearings and make recommendations on how to promote localism in television and radio.

_ Sept. 3, 2003: In “Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC,” a lawsuit filed by public interest groups seeking to overturn the FCC’s decision, a federal appeals court blocks implementation of the new rules pending resolution of the court challenge.

_ Dec. 8, 2003: After an agreement with the Senate and the White House, the House passes an omnibus spending bill that sets the national audience cap for television station owners at 39 percent, 6 percentage points lower than the FCC wanted but 4 percentage points higher than existing law.

_ Jan. 15, 2004: The first draft of a study on local broadcast news is circulated inside the agency.

_ June 24: The appeals court rules against the FCC, ordering it back to the drawing board on its ownership rules.

_ July 2004: The final draft of local broadcast news study is circulated internally at the commission.

_ Jan. 21, 2005: Michael Powell announces his resignation, effective in March.

_ Jan. 27: Media Bureau Chief W. Kenneth Ferree announces his resignation, effective in early March.

_ June 21, 2006: The FCC opens a new media ownership rulemaking proposal for public comment.

_ Sept. 12: Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who has obtained a copy of the local news study, asks FCC Chairman Kevin Martin about it during his confirmation hearing. Martin says he was not chairman at the time it was created and has never seen it.

_ Sept. 14: The Associated Press publishes a story quoting a former FCC lawyer as saying the local news study was ordered destroyed and “the whole project was just stopped _ end of discussion.”

_ Sept. 18: Boxer releases a second unpublished report, this one on the radio industry. Martin again says he has never seen it. At Boxer’s request, Martin orders an investigation by the agency’s inspector general.

_ Nov. 22: Martin announces a new slate of economic studies to be conducted as part of the broadcast media ownership rules review. The announcement is criticized by the commission’s two Democrats as lacking detail.

_ Dec. 29: The FCC posts a number of drafts of economic studies and other materials related to the media ownership proceeding on its Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/additional.html

_ Jan. 16, 2007: The public comment period closes on the new rules proceeding.