Sen. Hollings
MEDIA CONSOLIDATION
Tue Aug 5 02:07:56 2003
64.140.158.96

MEDIA CONSOLIDATION

AT ISSUES:
Promoting diversity, localism, and competition in America's media industry

http://hollings.senate.gov/inthenews_media.html

HOLLINGS' PERSPECTIVE:
For many years, Sen. Hollings has worked to preserve sensible rules on media ownership as a means to promote diverse news and information sources and allow local control of broadcast decisions. Further concentration, in his view, is detrimental to the discourse in American democracy and is an abuse of the public airwaves. He has been harshly critical of efforts to relax these rules, which he believes protect the public interest.

RECENT ACTION:
On June 2, in a controversial ruling, the FCC voted to roll back many of the nation's broadcast ownership rules. Given his years of work on the issue, Sen. Hollings has led a bipartisan effort to reverse the FCC's decision.

On June 19, the Commerce Committee approved Sen. Hollings' and Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) bipartisan legislation to reinstate 35% cap on national broadcast media ownership. As a result of the FCC's recent decision, the nation's media companies would be allowed to own broadcast resources reaching up to 45% of the nation's television viewers. The Stevens-Hollings bill would permanently codify the 35% cap and eliminate its future review by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

HOLLINGS' PERSPECTIVE:
For many years, Sen. Hollings has worked to preserve sensible rules on media ownership as a means to promote diverse news and information sources and allow local control of broadcast decisions. Further concentration, in his view, is detrimental to the discourse in American democracy and is an abuse of the public airwaves. He has been harshly critical of efforts to relax these rules, which he believes protect the public interest.

RECENT ACTION:
On June 2, in a controversial ruling, the FCC voted to roll back many of the nation's broadcast ownership rules. Given his years of work on the issue, Sen. Hollings has led a bipartisan effort to reverse the FCC's decision.

On June 19, the Senate Commerce Committee approved Sen. Hollings' and Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) bipartisan legislation to reinstate 35% cap on national broadcast media ownership. As a result of the FCC's recent decision, the nation's media companies would be allowed to own broadcast resources reaching up to 45% of the nation's television viewers. The Stevens-Hollings bill would permanently codify the 35% cap and eliminate its future review by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

As approved by the Committee, the legislation also included an amendment that restores a rule banning media conglomerates from owning both a TV station and a newspaper in the same market.

The Committee also agreed to an amendment that requires companies that own more radio stations than are permitted under the FCC's new market definitions to divest (amendment recap).

CURRENT STATUS:
The June 19 Committee vote clears the way for the full Senate's consideration of the bill.

| LEARN MORE: COMMUNICATIONS |
http://hollings.senate.gov/issues_media.html


CONTACT SEN. HOLLINGS:
Please use the following form to contact Senator Hollings with your comments and concerns. Due to the high volume of emails
http://hollings.senate.gov/issues_media.html