Diverse Group Opposes Ownership Reform

By: David Ho, Associated Press Writer (AP) From Pearl Jam to the National Rifle Association, a diverse collection of groups is concerned that a looming government decision on media ownership rules could lead to a handful of giant companies controlling what people watch, hear, and read.

These critics, including lawmakers, academics, and consumer advocates, have grown more vocal as the Federal Communications Commission's June 2 vote on the rules nears.

The FCC is considering whether decades-old ownership restrictions still reflect a market altered by satellite broadcasts, cable television, and the Internet.

Media executives and consumer advocates were to testify on media ownership Thursday before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

FCC Chairman Michael Powell and the two other Republicans on the five-member commission favor easing regulations, an outcome sought by many large media companies that say the rules are outdated. The two Democrats say Powell is rushing to vote without properly advising the public.

A proposal being considered by the commission would allow companies to own more TV stations in local markets. It also would eliminate many restrictions on one company owning combinations of newspapers and TV and radio stations in the same city.

"Such a news and information giant is a frightening prospect for democracy," said Gene Kimmelman, public policy director for Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine.

Stone Gossard, a guitarist with the band Pearl Jam, told reporters Wednesday that the FCC vote should be delayed to allow for more public discussion. "The more I learn about the potential changes in the business landscape brought on by further deregulation, the more I feel the need to know," he said during a phone conference with musicians concerned about media mergers.

Powell has said repeatedly there is no reason to delay the vote. Many lawmakers and Commerce Secretary Donald Evans back him.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin, R-La., wrote lawmakers Wednesday, asking them to oppose proposed legislation requiring the FCC to keep a rule preventing a single company from owning TV stations that reach more than 35% of U.S. households.

"The FCC is currently undertaking the most thoughtful and thorough review of our nation's broadcast ownership rules in the history of their existence," Tauzin said. "It is time for the commission to act."

National Rifle Association members have sent thousands of post cards to the FCC in recent weeks. A letter from the NRA told members that "a small group of top media executives could literally silence your NRA."

Charles Lewis, director of the Center for Public Integrity, questioned whether the FCC can be objective in the ownership review. His group reported Thursday that FCC officials have taken more than 2,500 trips in the last eight years, most of them paid for by the telecommunications and broadcasting industries the agency regulates.

The report, based on public records, details all trips worth more than $250 taken by agency commissioners and staff between May 1995 and February 2003. The total cost of the trips was $2.8 million.

The trips appear to be legal under government guidelines, the report said.

FCC spokesman David Fiske said the trips are meant to be educational and are reviewed internally to make sure they are ethical. Fiske said the shows and conferences help officials stay current on technology they regulate.