Washington, D.C. - The health of our democracy depends on a full and open airing of ideas and opinions. Monday's action by the Federal Communications Commission will limit the range of voices and opinions Americans will hear in the marketplace of ideas. With marginal media coverage and little solicited public participation, the FCC's vote to relax media ownership rules has made possible the further concentration of the print and broadcast media in the hands of only a small number of powerful corporations.
The FCC's action will only deepen existing concerns about an industry plagued by accusations of homogeneity and fears that the news and views Americans hear is dominated and controlled by a few powerful voices. Years ago, Congress debated the rules that regulate the cable industry. One of the strongest arguments in support of cable at that time was that the medium would increase the opportunity for a diversity of voices in an arena where only a few corporations controlled America's access to information. Yesterday, the FCC said its decision to allow greater media concentration was motivated largely by the dearth of choices offered by the cable industry today. They argue that the current rules are outdated and discourage competition. But they ignore the fact that the lofty aspirations set years ago for the cable industry have fallen short of the mark. Today an alarmingly small number of corporations like General Electric, AOL Time Warner, Viacom and Disney control not only the conduits through which information flows to the public, but increasingly, the program content as well. The FCC's decision will only continue this trend.
This is a dangerous road we are on. As media concentration has grown over the years, we have watched as more and more voices have been pushed from the public stage. Not only minority voices and alternative viewpoints, but increasingly even local community voices are silenced as corporate executives adjust program schedules to maximize their bottom lines.
Despite the best efforts of the FCC and those in the media who stand to gain the most financially, the public has been able to make its opposition to this change known. Members of Congress have received thousands of calls from angry constituents who, already concerned about the lack of choice, fear that the FCC's decision will mean a further erosion of choice. The day before the FCC was to deliver its decision, they had to shut down their public email box because it overflowed with hundreds of thousands of complaints from ordinary citizens who recognized the gathering threat. Ted Turner and Barry Diller wrote editorials opposing the FCC's plan and groups across the political spectrum from the NRA to now joined the chorus of voices condemning the decision.
It now falls to the Congress to serve the public interest and work to reverse this effort to dumb down the American media. The public interest is not served by a cookie-cutter approach to important policy issues. At stake is a loss of competition, local community perspectives and diversity. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reverse the most troubling aspects of the FCC decision.