Fight Over Media FCC Rules Proves Power of Coalitions

In an era with few victories for the little guy, it was a cause for widespread celebration two years ago when an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative groups stopped the FCC from changing its rules so giant corporations running TV, radio and newspapers could get even bigger.

But the battle will have to be waged again as soon as new members are appointed to fill vacancies on the Federal Communications Commission, warn CWA's newspaper and broadcast sector leaders.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin pledged in a recent news conference that he will move quickly to change the media ownership rules that — while weakened in recent years — have long protected a diversity of voices and viewpoints in news and entertainment media.

"We're going to have to gear up for this fight again and push for more public hearings," said John Clark, president of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA. "People want to know they're getting their news and information from a variety of sources, not just one source disguised as many."

Clark and Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA said the political lesson learned from the last round is that it will take a huge, grassroots effort to succeed against the FCC's pro-business majority. It's a lesson they said can apply to other battlefronts, too, such as health care.

"The FCC fight illustrates why we need to build political coalitions with other grassroots groups where we can find common ground," Foley said. "You can build coalitions with people who you may not see eye to eye with on every issue, or even most issues."

Led largely by CWA, the coalition included such widely disparate groups as the peace activists of Code Pink and the National Rifle Association, as well as scores of unions, churches, non-profits and conservative groups such as the Parents Television Council. The organizations reached out to their members and tens of thousands of angry letters poured into the FCC.

Congress began to step in, with the House Appropriations Committee passing a bipartisan resolution to reverse the FCC decision. Ultimately, a federal appeals court ruling forced the FCC to back down.

CWA's political clout gave heft to the fight against the revised ownership rules, Foley said, explaining that a union with a newspaper and broadcast sector and tens of thousands of telecom members meant CWA "is a player" in the FCC's ball field.

"We wouldn't have the same knowledge and ability to weigh in if we were just The Newspaper Guild without our connection to our brothers and sisters in telecommunications," Foley said. "They bring incredible solidarity at the grassroots level and they bring a huge amount of experience and cachet in dealing with the FCC."