FCC Reviewing Controls on Big Media

The Federal Communications Commission kicked off a review on Wednesday of its media ownership rules. You may have caught this news on cable TV; or on an iPod; cell phone; BlackBerry; Treo; AM, FM or satellite radio; in your newspaper; or on one of the countless Internet news sites and discussion blogs. Maybe a friend e-mailed it to you.

The FCC review is all about whether the owner of a TV station should be allowed to own another TV station or a newspaper in the same town. Sounds quaint, doesn't it?

At a time when it seems everybody can be a publisher or broadcaster -- or podcaster -- when new media outlets are flowering every day, we're heading back to a debate about whether the government needs to curb the appetite of so-called "big media."
Ban on Cross-Ownership?
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin promised a comprehensive review that will take into account the "competitive realities of the media marketplace" and the goal of promoting diverse voices in local media. The FCC under Martin's predecessor, Michael Powell, tried to do just that three years ago.

Essentially, it voted to lift the ban on cross-ownership of TV stations and newspapers in larger markets and loosened the criteria for owning additional media outlets. The new rules, however, caused a huge protest over media consolidation and have been tied up in litigation.

Since that last go-around, consumers have latched onto many more media outlets and a seemingly endless array of new ways to have information delivered, while newspaper circulation and broadcast TV viewership have been buffeted by that new competition. There may be no business sector in the nation today that enjoys more broad, diverse and robust competition.
Involving the Public

Nevertheless, the FCC decision to revisit media ownership has touched off another round of cries that a handful of big companies want to control what you read and hear.

The Chicago Tribune is owned by one of the larger media companies. You may have seen that company in the news lately. It has supported an end to cross-ownership rules -- not so it can control what you see and hear, but so it can find its way in this extremely competitive media environment without the government putting up needless obstacles.

Kevin Martin has said that the FCC will be more expansive this time in its consideration of cross-ownership. It will conduct more research into how to measure diversity and competition in markets. There will be more public hearings and more time for the public to comment.

That's all well and good. A vigorous and public debate should give people a better understanding of this issue, to erase the baseless fear that somehow a few companies will control every bit of information you receive.

So, bring on the debate.

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has vowed to resist loosening these "rules that will reshape the American media." He must not have noticed that the reshaping of American media is well under way. The FCC is playing catch-up.