Tell Congress to Stop Big Media

Urge the Oregon delegation to support S. 2332, the bipartisan Media Ownership Act of 2007 that would:

  • require 90 days for the public to comment on any proposed media ownership rules put forward by the FCC,
  • require the FCC to complete a separate proceeding to evaluate how localism is affected by media consolidation,
  • require that the public have an opportunity to comment on that proceeding during a 90 day public comment period,
  • require that the localism proceeding must be done
    separately and be completed prior to a vote on proposed media ownership
    rules,and
  • requires establishment of an independent panel on female
    and minority ownership and for the FCC to provide the panel with
    accurate data on female and minority ownership -- this panel must issue
    recommendations and the FCC must act on them prior to voting on any
    proposed ownership rules.

The "Media Ownership Act of 2007" was introduced by Sen.
Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and is co-sponsored by
Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), John Kerry
(D-Mass.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Diane
Feinstein (D-Calif.)

Letters to Representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Darlene Hooley, and David Wu can begin with a "thank you" for signing a strongly worded letter taking the Federal Communications Commission chair Kevin Martin to task for his rush job on new media ownership rules. The letter also chides Martin for shoddy research by the FCC and circulating the proposed rules before the final media ownership hearing had even been held.

They conclude: "At its heart, the debate over the future of media ownership in America is a debate over the future of the democracy." Read the letter

Use the links below to send your thanks to Representatives DeFazio, Blumenauer, Hooley, and Wu and urge them to support S. 2332.

Ask Representative Greg Walden to join his colleagues. This is especially important because on December 6th the House Commerce committee, of which Walden is a member, will hold a hearing on the FCC media ownership rules.

Use the links below and also urge Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden to support the Media Ownership Act of 2007.

Also urge them join this unlikely pair of Senators, Bryon Dorgan (D-North Dakota) and Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) and write similar letters to the FCC.  Read Lott and Dorgan's letter here.

 

Follow these links to directly contact Congress: Tell them to Stop Big Media