House Coalition Presses For Vote on Media Ownership Turnover

A bipartisan group of House members delivered a letter to Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), signed by 205 House members, demanding a House vote on the “resolution of disapproval” passed by the Senate on Sept. 16. This measure would
nullify the FCC’s new media ownership rules. The letter to the Speaker was co-authored by Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa), Rep. David Price (D-N.C.), Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.). The speaker decides when to bring a bill to the floor for a vote.
Rep. Markey stated, “It’s time to allow the House of Representatives to have a full debate and a vote on the FCC decision. The FCC mass media decision permits a single company to jointly own 3 over-the-air television stations, the city’s cable system, the daily newspaper, and 8 radio stations. This level of concentration is ludicrous, unjustifiable, and will make Citizen Kane look like an underachiever.”
Rep. Sanders said the group believes it has enough votes to pass the resolution.