http://news.com.com/2010-1071_3-5072792.html Technology and the limits of media ownershipBy Declan McCullagh September 9, 2003, 4:00 AM PT Just what was so objectionable about the Federal Communications Commission's decision to slightly relax a few limits on media ownership? To hear critics assail the change, which is now on hold after last week's court ruling, you might think a constitutional Armageddon was at hand. Columnists warned that the decision "wounded democracy," while The New York Times lauded the old rules as representing "the heart of our democracy." A report the AFL-CIO prepared before the vote even bears the grave title of "Democracy Unhinged." Huh? You'd never know it from all that anguished bleating about imperiled democracy, but the changes to the FCC's media ownership rules were entirely modest. If anything, they didn't go far enough. Some background: The FCC voted 3-2 on June 2 to relax rules that limit ownership of TV stations, radio stations and newspapers, saying decades-old regulations are obsolete, in part, because of the rise of the Internet and other new technologies. The new rules said broadcast networks could own TV stations, which combined reach 45 percent of the national audience, an increase of 10 percentage points. Note that does not mean a media company may own 45 percent of all stations. It simply means that a company's broadcasting reach may modestly expand, though it would still be far short of the national reach of, say, newspapers, cable networks or Web sites. What's more, mergers would still remain subject to antitrust review, and the new rule would only apply to about half a percent of stations nationwide. (If American democracy can survive the Civil War, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and the California recall, perhaps it could withstand a change of half a percent.) ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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