-
House Panel Adds Voice to Opponents of Media Rule
The recent decision by federal regulators to loosen media ownership rules, already under fire in the Senate, took another blow in Congress yesterday. This setback was dealt by the House Appropriations Committee, which approved a budget amendment that would make it harder for big broadcasting companies to acquire more television stations.
The vote represented a defeat for Michael K. Powell, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, who has led the effort to change the rules. It was also a rebuke to the Republican House leadership and the Bush administration, strong supporters of the commission's efforts.
A White House spokeswoman, Claire Buchan, said last night that the "president's senior advisers would recommend a veto" if a bill including the amendment ultimately reached his desk.
MAKE OUR DAY, MR. PRESIDENT.
This guy still thinks he's invincible? I'd say, "think again," except for the lack of any credible evidence that he's ever had a single identifiable thought of his own.
On the other hand:
-
The battle over the amendment passed yesterday is expected to be a bruising one, and committee leaders said that the full House might take up the measure as soon as early next week. And with the White House threatening to veto any effort to curb the federal commission's authority, stopping the new rules from going into effect still appears to be an uphill struggle.
"The fight is far from over," said Ken Johnson, a spokesman for Representative Billy Tauzin, Republican of Louisiana and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Mr. Tauzin is among the commission's most vocal supporters in Congress.
"Many of the rules simply don't make sense in a 21st century marketplace," Mr. Johnson said.
There's a lot more work to be done. To keep yourself up to date and for some excellent background material, check out these folks.
When I get more information on what exactly we can do next to advance the cause, I'll post it with easy to use clickable links.
We have many more of Michael Powell's days to unmake.