MORE THAN 40 GROUPS ASK POWELL FOR HEARINGS ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP

More than 40 national and local consumer groups and others called on FCC Chmn. Powell to hold hearings around country on proposed changes in media ownership rules. Their request, in letter to Powell, takes up charge by Comr. Copps when Commission opened its proceeding on media ownership earlier this year (CD Sept 13 p1). Copps in fact has said he may travel around country and hold field hearings on his own if Commission as whole decides against doing so (CD Oct 3 p3).

At news conference, group leaders said changes in media ownership rules had potential to undermine media diversity and democracy and public should be given chance to make views known. “In a democratic society that relies on media companies to distribute news and information, the government should not base its decisions to allow media consolidation on the views of the media companies themselves,” said Gene Kimmelman, dir., Consumers Union. Groups also released research that they said showed that public was against further media consolidation.

Report released by Consumer Federation of America, part of coalition of groups, said 70% of respondents to survey believed media companies were becoming too large. Report, “Public Support for Media Diversity and Democracy in The Digital Age,” was based in part on telephone surveys of 1,000 people after Labor Day, with margin of error of plus or minus 3%. Report also included earlier survey done over 2 years. CFA said that by 3-to-1 margin survey respondents felt that cross-media mergers such as between broadcast and newspapers were bad for country. Respondents felt those mergers would create less diversity in editorial viewpoints, CFA said.

Commission’s pending rulemaking seeks to determine whether 6 broadcast ownership rules, some of which were adopted 40 years ago, still are relevant and necessary. It said it would handle cable ownership rules in separate proceeding. New proposed rulemaking was prompted by federal court rulings that FCC needed to do better job of justifying its ownership rules. Rules limit broadcaster from owning TV stations that reach more than 35% of U.S. homes, restrict it from owning both TV station and newspaper or radio station in same market, cap number of TV or radio stations it can own in single market and prevent companies from owning more than one of 4 major broadcast networks.

Paul Almeida, pres., AFL-CIO’s Dept. of Professional Employees, said without field hearings, “we believe that the FCC’s regulatory review process could be perceived as flawed, accessible only to the special interests who will spend whatever it takes to influence the outcome.” He said Commission needed to hear from “real Americans” and “ordinary people.” Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program dir., U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), criticized FCC Media Bureau Chief Kenneth Ferree, who was quoted by N.Y. Times as having said that holding such hearings would “an exercise in foot- stomping.” FCC spokeswoman said Ferree had been quoted out of context and he questioned whether hearings were best use of FCC resources, given that what courts were looking for was actual evidence from marketplace. She said Commission hadn’t ruled on idea of field hearings and they still were under consideration.

Some of groups also has asked for delay in comment period on 12 media ownership studies released in Oct. (CD Oct 2 p1), saying they needed more time to conduct their own studies and wanted field hearings. Groups also have asked for data that underlay studies’ conclusions. Those requests are pending before Commission.

Among groups that joined in latest request to Powell were Ariz. Consumers Council, Cal. PIRG, Center for Digital Democracy, Citizen Action/Ill., Empire State Consumer Assn. of N.Y., Fla. Consumer Action Network, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Mich. Consumer Federation, Tex. Consumer Assn., Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press, others.