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FCC Votes To Cap Cable Growth
Also eases media ownership rules

We've been watching the FCC meetings on CSPAN-3 for much of the day (yeah we're wild like that). Un-thwarted by attending protesters at the vote, the commission voted 3-2 across partisan lines today to ease thirty-two year old rules that prohibited broadcasters in the nation's 20 largest media markets from also owning a newspaper.

Concerned with the harm additional consolidation could have on media diversity, a number of Senators quickly created a law that would block the vote, assuming it is passed. In his own defense, FCC boss Kevin Martin quickly issued a press statement (pdf) insisting that diversity was precisely what he was

Click for full size
after:
quote:
A robust marketplace of ideas is by necessity one that reflects varied perspectives and viewpoints. Indeed, the opportunity to express diverse viewpoints lies at the heart of our democracy. To that end, the FCC’s media ownership rules are intended to further three core goals: competition, diversity, and localism.
Martin and Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama apparently used different dictionaries to define "diversity":
quote:
Today the FCC failed to further the important goal of promoting diversity in the media and instead chose to put big corporate interests ahead of the people’s interests. Minority owned and operated newspapers and radio stations play a critical role in African American and Latino communities and help bring minority issues to the forefront of our national dialogue. We must ensure that we have an open media market that represents all of the voices in our diverse nation, and allows them to be heard.
While some media giants are certainly pleased with Martin, not all of them (we're talking about you, Comcast) are going to be happy today. The FCC also voted to cap the growth of the largest cable operators at 30% of the pay TV market (Comcast currently sits somewhere around 27%). We've discussed what motivates the FCC boss at length.

Statements from all the commissioners should show up on the FCC website before the end of the day. You can expect both controversial decisions to be debated extensively in the courts and Congress.
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snipper_cr
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Wheaton, IL

1 edit

snipper_cr

Premium Member

Cue

Cue comment overflow
Im not sure how this opperates but I suspect comcast will try some legislation to lobbying to get this overruled or waivers to be allowed...

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 edit

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Cue

said by snipper_cr:

Cue comment overflow
Im not sure how this opperates but I suspect comcast will try some legislation to lobbying to get this overruled or waivers to be allowed...
They'll just go to the courts. The FCC attempt to do this before was overturned. It most likely will be again.
»money.cnn.com/news/newsf ··· UNE5.htm
A similar ownership cap that the FCC attempted to impose on the cable industry six years ago was tossed out by the courts, which argued the agency didn't have the authority to cap the growth of companies it regulates.

AuraReturn
Premium Member
join:2003-08-18
USA

1 recommendation

AuraReturn

Premium Member

Re: Cue

What the FCC is going on?

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

rit56

Member

Mr. Martin

It should be interesting to see how much money he makes as an employee of Verizon once his term expires. He sure is stacking the deck.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

KrK

Premium Member

Re: Mr. Martin

Might be at&t...

K3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium Member
join:2006-01-17
Columbia, PA

1 recommendation

K3SGM

Premium Member

Re: Mr. Martin

Not HIM again???
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

lameness

Politicians and hearing speakers are both stuttering and shitting bricks at each other at the meeting and don't know what to say.
ender7074
join:2006-11-21
Saint Louis, MO

ender7074

Member

This guy's a jerk

Who is he to determine how big a company can grow as long as its not a pure monopoly. Total government control bs here. I'm no fan of the cable industry at all but if they can grow and keep their customer base, then more power to them. Unbelieveable. Evertime this guys picture is on the front page here it's about something incredibly stupid coming out of his mouth.
awesumpatrol
join:2003-06-13
Washington, DC

awesumpatrol

Member

Redux

Let's see. . . .

2001:

FCC: "We've imposing a 30% ownership cap!"
D.C. Circuit: "No, actually."

2007 (market very much more competitive):

FCC: "We're imposing a 30% ownership cap!"
D.C. Circuit: . . .

inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

inteller

Member

how can one get rid of Martin?

Change in Presidency?

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

rit56

Member

Re: how can one get rid of Martin?

yes. Presidential appointee.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 edit

FFH5 to inteller

Premium Member

to inteller
said by inteller:

how can one get rid of Martin?
Change in Presidency?
That won't do it. An FCC commissioner can't be fired by the President. Martin got a NEW 5 yr term beginning on April 25, 2006. So he can be, if he wants to and doesn't resign to move on to elected office in North Carolina, an FCC commissioner until 2011. The FCC is an INDEPENDENT commission and is not under control of the President except by persuasion and promises of future political support. The president can appoint, but not fire, FCC commissioners. And there must be at least 2 and not more than 3 commissioners from each political party on the 5 member commission.

»www.fcc.gov/commissioners/
»www.fcc.gov/commissioner ··· /martin/
NGOwner
join:2000-11-21
Leawood, KS

NGOwner

Member

Re: how can one get rid of Martin?

Does anybody else see the resemblance between Martin:



And Waldo?



I swear each time I see Martin's picture I say:

"There's Waldo!"

[NG]Owner

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: how can one get rid of Martin?

I always thought he looked like Howdy Doody:
»Re: What a tool

supergirl
join:2007-03-20
Pensacola, FL

2 recommendations

supergirl to NGOwner

Member

to NGOwner
»/r0/do ··· /kjm.jpg

Everytime I see him I think, "Boy, either he's totally gay or wasn't he that child molester on the FBI Wanted Board at the Post Office?" LOL!

comcast_customer
@accelnet.net

comcast_customer to FFH5

Anon

to FFH5
Ok, so they don't have to fire him. They just have to figure out a way to render him impotent.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Martin defends media ownership rules ...

...saying newspapers can no longer stand alone and provide news not fed to them by newswire services. They need big multi-media resources to survive. On that 1 issue he makes a valid point, because the internet is rapidly killing off newspapers and their employees.
»www.fcc.gov/kjm121807-ow ··· ship.pdf
Consumers have benefited from the explosion of new sources of news and
information. But according to almost every measure newspapers are struggling. At least
300 daily papers have stopped publishing over the past thirty years. Their circulation is
down and their advertising revenue is shrinking.

Newspapers in financial difficulty oftentimes have little choice but to scale back
local news gathering to cut costs. In 2007 alone, 24 newsroom staff at The Boston Globe
were fired, including 2 Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters; the Minneapolis Star Tribune
fired 145 employees, including 50 from their newsroom; 20 were fired by the Rocky
Mountain News; the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News announced cuts totaling
110 employees; and the San Francisco Chronicle planned to cut 25% of its newsroom
staff.

Allowing cross-ownership may help to forestall the erosion in local news
coverage by enabling companies to share these local news gathering costs across multiple
media platforms.

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

rit56

Member

Re: Martin defends media ownership rules ...

this business model is what destroyed the entertainment business. by allowing Clear Channel to buy all the radio stations nation wide they then began to fire employees to cut costs and played the exact radio format in every city. it was a failure of epic proportions. they failed to take into account that every market is different, people have different tastes. essentially they destroyed radio. myspace, streaming, their success was in part a reaction by people who didn't want to hear what the bad content Clear Channel allowed them to hear. they sought out other sources of content.

this has already happened with allowing one company to own all the tv stations. I recall last year somewhere in the midwest there was a horrible storm and there was no more local rado or tv stations and they couldn't alert people to the problem. I live in a big city and the first section I read everyday is the city section to see what's going on. communities will suffer greatly without good local content.
zed2608
Premium Member
join:2007-09-30
Cleveland, TN

1 edit

zed2608 to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
i see the newspaper thing actully hurting newspapers local news anyway

now that they can make more money online and other sources why even continue the newspaper

why not just buy out newspaper and discontinue it after all its not as profitable as the tv or other news sources and competes with our other services

hurleyp
join:2000-06-20
Ottawa, ON

hurleyp

Member

Re: Martin defends media ownership rules ...

Does anyone under 30 actually read newspapers any more?

Glaice
Brutal Video Vault
Premium Member
join:2002-10-01
North Babylon, NY

Glaice

Premium Member

Re: Martin defends media ownership rules ...

said by hurleyp:

Does anyone under 30 actually read newspapers any more?
I do, when I to the local Burger King, as they usually have the daily Newsday there.
grandpinaple8
join:2006-01-03
New York, NY

grandpinaple8 to hurleyp

Member

to hurleyp
No, but we love those crossword puzzles.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

3 edits

FFH5

Premium Member

Some links to today's FCC decisions

FCC news release on 30% cable cap:
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 38A1.pdf

FCC news release on Media consolidation in top 20 metropolitan markets:
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 32A1.pdf

FCC news release on promotion and encouragement of DIVERSITY(i.e. women and minorities) of broadcast station ownership:
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 35A1.pdf

Each individual commissioner's comments and dissents from these split 3to2 decisions can be read here:
»www.fcc.gov/

FCC news release on encouraging broadcast licensees to provide more local content and asking for comment on the new proposed rules:
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 43A1.pdf

comcast_customer
@accelnet.net

comcast_customer

Anon

no surprise here

The real fight has just begun -»www.commondreams.org/arc ··· 18/5888/

NOYB
St. John 3.16
Premium Member
join:2005-12-15
Forest Grove, OR

1 recommendation

NOYB

Premium Member

Does Not Matter . . .


Most news outlets use same sources anyway.
Such as AP, Reuters, etc.

It is the news sources that need more competition and diversity of views.


tschmidt
MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
·Consolidated Com..
·Republic Wireless
·Hollis Hosting

1 recommendation

tschmidt

MVM

Re: Does Not Matter . . .

I agree. I don't have a problem with cross ownership of TV, radio, newspaper in a given market.

What worries me is when ONE COMPANY owns multiple newspapers, radio and TV stations in a given market.

What government policy should do is to encourage a diversity of ownership and views without worrying too much about how those view are communicated. What is troubling today is a hand full of media giants control what is deemed newsworthy and manages news organizations as entertainment rather then journalism.

/tom

Cabledude27
Premium Member
join:2001-12-23
Pennsville, NJ

Cabledude27

Premium Member

What about the Sirius and XM merger

He's hell bent on screwing Comcast and providing relief to the media markets to own a newspaper but they cant seem to come to a decision on the piddly Sirius and XM merger after what 6mos to a year.

This guy reeks of taking bribes for his telco boys.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

newspaper?

who cares? people still buy the newspaper?

ropeguru
Premium Member
join:2001-01-25
Mechanicsville, VA

ropeguru

Premium Member

Re: newspaper?

said by dvd536:

who cares? people still buy the newspaper?
I don't buy newspapers anymore. More advertisements, garbage and junk then there is news.

Anyway, all they are doing is double dipping. They get paid by advertisers to run ads. Then they want you to pay for the newspaper. Go figure..

rogunit
Uhhh, Sir?
Premium Member
join:1999-09-18
Phoenix, AZ

rogunit

Premium Member

WTF?

Who does this guy answer to? Thousands of normal people show up at hearings and tell him no. Congress tells him no. He just goes ahead and does it? WTF?

Jigsaw
Stardust We Are
Premium Member
join:2000-10-21
Cleveland, OH

Jigsaw

Premium Member

Re: WTF?

said by rogunit:

Who does this guy answer to? Thousands of normal people show up at hearings and tell him no. Congress tells him no. He just goes ahead and does it? WTF?
Its won't Stand most likely the cable company's will take it to court and put em in his place it will just cost them money and if you have Cable that cost is going right to you no ifs ands or buts...
majortom1029
join:2006-10-19
Medford, NY

majortom1029

Member

hmm

So basically the fcc is making it so that ma bell comes back stronger then ever .
They are capping cable and letting verizon and att do what ever they want. Come on thats really screwed up. This should also effect fios tv.

linicx
Caveat Emptor
Premium Member
join:2002-12-03
United State

linicx

Premium Member

Martin who???

Bye, Bye, Martin.

I listened to Matin as he side-stepped questions from Senators or just refused to answer. He is another prime example of a DC pol who does not live in the real world. My thoughts on the whole thing will be laid out next November. I predict that is where the next American Revolution will begin. Most of us have had enough, already.

HELP Change TV
@verizon.net

HELP Change TV

Anon

Now what about Nielsen Media Research

The real culprit for the lack of diversity on TV is Nielsen Media Research. Nielsen has a monopoly on the TV ratings system, they use archaic methods to gather ratings information that worked great in the 70s when there were 3 major outlets, but today's fragmented environment "not so much".

They also have a cozy, too close for comfort relationship with Univision, the nation's largest Spanish TV network, which has several ex employees now working at Nielsen and which, not surprisingly, dominates the Hispanic TV Ratings at #s that are too astonishing to believe when compared to other research (Census data, Tomas Rivera, etc.).

What government agency oversees Nielsen Media Research which is responsible the ratings data that are the currency that billions of ad dollars are based upon and determine what TV content you and I do or do NOT get to see?

more info on this at www.helpchangetv.com
UncleDirtNap
join:2006-08-26
Pittsburgh, PA

UncleDirtNap

Member

Cable customers to dumb to see the forest for the trees

Chairman Martin has been one of the few strong voices for "cable" tv consumers and should be lauded for his efforts.

It's a sad, sad day in the nation when the left, Democrats and corporate villains like Comcast that funnel obscene amounts of money to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have convinced so many people that government regulation and not free markets provide diversity and competition.

You have to be a complete dolt to believe that the same people pushing fascist legislation like the "Fairness Doctrine" in order to control dissemination of information over the radio air wave give one wit about fairness, diversity or competion in the cable industry.

••••