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On the Hill: Senate, Court Put Brakes on Media Monopolies
In a big blow to media giants and the Republican-controlled FCC, the U.S. Senate voted 55-40 on Sept. 15 to wipe out the full slate of controversial media rules put forth by the Federal Communications Commission.
The "resolution of disapproval" sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) came two weeks after a federal appeals court in Philadelphia issued an order blocking the FCC from imposing the unpopular new rules that would let TV and newspaper conglomerates get even bigger and further erode local ownership.
Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, said Republican members of the FCC "chose to ignore the wishes of hundreds of thousands of citizens" by issuing the rules in spite of broad public opposition from groups ranging from peace activists to unions to the National Rifle Association.
"The Senate listened to those voices," Foley said. "The FCC's deregulation of media is bad for democracy. Today, democracy rose up to let the people be heard."
The resolution, a legislative tool that has been used just once before - to kill the Clinton ergonomic rule at the start of the Bush administration - will go to the House next, where it is expected to face more opposition. Bipartisan support in the Senate included Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), the co-sponsor. Nevertheless, the White House is pledging to uphold corporate interests and veto the resolution if it passes the House.
Foley said the bipartisan vote "ought to send a clear signal to media conglomerates and the White House that the American public and their representatives in the Senate are not about to abandon democratic ideals and public discourse for corporate gains."
The new rules, passed by the FCC on June 30, include allowing the same company to own newspapers and broadcast stations in the same city, and allowing a company to own as many as three television stations and eight radio stations in the same market.
The Sept. 3 court decision was significant in contradicting the arguments of FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who claimed publicly that if the commission didn't revise the ownership rules to allow greater media consolidation, that a federal court would step in and force the changes.
The three-judge panel voted unanimously to prevent media companies from moving forward with plans to take advantage of the new rules, at least until the outcome of litigation.
Dorgan, one of the chief opponents of the rules, called the Senate vote a "victory for the people. The public interest prevailed over the big corporate interests today here in the Senate."
While there likely are sufficient votes in the House to pass the resolution, Dorgan said House leaders have indicated they may try to block it. He cautioned that such a move could have political consequences.
"This is an issue the American people understand very well," he said. "They don't want fewer and fewer people controlling what we all see, read and hear."
The "resolution of disapproval" sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) came two weeks after a federal appeals court in Philadelphia issued an order blocking the FCC from imposing the unpopular new rules that would let TV and newspaper conglomerates get even bigger and further erode local ownership.
Linda Foley, president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, said Republican members of the FCC "chose to ignore the wishes of hundreds of thousands of citizens" by issuing the rules in spite of broad public opposition from groups ranging from peace activists to unions to the National Rifle Association.
"The Senate listened to those voices," Foley said. "The FCC's deregulation of media is bad for democracy. Today, democracy rose up to let the people be heard."
The resolution, a legislative tool that has been used just once before - to kill the Clinton ergonomic rule at the start of the Bush administration - will go to the House next, where it is expected to face more opposition. Bipartisan support in the Senate included Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), the co-sponsor. Nevertheless, the White House is pledging to uphold corporate interests and veto the resolution if it passes the House.
Foley said the bipartisan vote "ought to send a clear signal to media conglomerates and the White House that the American public and their representatives in the Senate are not about to abandon democratic ideals and public discourse for corporate gains."
The new rules, passed by the FCC on June 30, include allowing the same company to own newspapers and broadcast stations in the same city, and allowing a company to own as many as three television stations and eight radio stations in the same market.
The Sept. 3 court decision was significant in contradicting the arguments of FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who claimed publicly that if the commission didn't revise the ownership rules to allow greater media consolidation, that a federal court would step in and force the changes.
The three-judge panel voted unanimously to prevent media companies from moving forward with plans to take advantage of the new rules, at least until the outcome of litigation.
Dorgan, one of the chief opponents of the rules, called the Senate vote a "victory for the people. The public interest prevailed over the big corporate interests today here in the Senate."
While there likely are sufficient votes in the House to pass the resolution, Dorgan said House leaders have indicated they may try to block it. He cautioned that such a move could have political consequences.
"This is an issue the American people understand very well," he said. "They don't want fewer and fewer people controlling what we all see, read and hear."