FCC Rulings

The media ownership proceeding of 2003 have returned to the table in 2007, the debate continues whether to relax or eliminate longstanding rules preventing media consolidation at both the local and national levels regarding TV, radio, newspapers and cable. The current rules prevent one broadcast network from ownin another broadcast network;limit the number of local broadcast stations that any one broadcaster can own to system serving 35 percent of the TV-viewing households in the U.S.; prohibit a company from ownong cable TV systems and TV stations in the same community, and prohibit ownership of newspapers and TV stationsin the same community. The original reasoning for these rules was to guarantee a multiplicity of voices anr prevent concentrations of power. Today's argument is many of these rule are out dated and need to be reexamined. Big media companies are complaining the rules are artificially constricting their ability to grow and serve their consumer base. Big media claims this damages their capacity to compete in the free marketplace. the Internet poses a threat, as a new source of competition claims the big media companies