As part of his ongoing fight against media consolidation, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., led a group of 84 House members in calling on FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to conduct the agency’s upcoming review of media ownership rules in an open and transparent fashion that allows for public input.
The FCC released details of its media ownership rulemaking last week and set Sept. 22 as the initial due date for public comment.
Hinchey and his colleagues believe the commission should schedule an extensive, national series of town hall meetings, both in major media markets and small rural towns, to conduct an analysis on the state of media ownership and consolidation. The FCC also must disclose proposed rule changes to give the public a chance to weigh in on the proposals.
Hinchey, founder and chairman of the Future of American Media Caucus, states in a letter to Martin that, “While we were pleased to learn that the FCC is planning to upgrade its Web site and schedule meetings to respond to public interest in its rulemaking on media ownership, we strongly believe that this does not go far enough.”
The FAM Caucus has 20 House members.
Hinchey Calls for Transparency in Media Ownership Debate
Hinchey Calls for Transparency in Media Ownership Debate
