Millions Demand a Voice in Telecommunications Policy Debate
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 5/10/2005
A new coalition representing 20 million Americans is demanding to be heard when Congress makes critical telecommunications policy choices this year.The Media and Democracy Coalition, which includes national and local media advocacy, civil rights, religious, and consumer groups, laid out its vision in a "Bill of Media Rights" released Monday.
The bill of rights calls for a "competitive, diverse, and independent media to better serve our nation's democracy and culture, today and tomorrow."
More than 115 groups have endorsed the bill of rights, including Common Cause, Consumers Union, Screen Actors Guild, AFL-CIO and the New America Foundation.
"We do not want to repeat history," said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree. "We know that the industry-funded studies and the predictions of all the great benefits of new technology as an argument for less regulation are as bogus today as they were nearly a decade ago."
A new Common Cause study released Monday concludes that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 "failed to deliver" on its promise of lower prices, increased competition, and increased diversity of viewpoints.
Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, said he was "pleased to support the effort to democratize federal communications policy, both now and in the future."
"Communications policy is not a partisan issue. Nor is it about access to the latest gadgets. The civil rights community cares about communications policy because we recognize that what we're really talking about is equal opportunity and equal access to important local and national resources," Henderson said.
Gloria Tristani, managing director of the Office of Communication, United Church of Christ, said Congress and the Federal Communications Commission must put the American public's interests "first and foremost."
"Since 1996, the percentage of minority ownership of television and radio stations has diminished and is at an all time low. At the same time, employment of people of color in media companies has dropped and there continues to be a significant digital divide, and increasingly, a digital broadband divide. In addition, the potential of a ramped up DTV transition threatens to cut off many Americans from broadcasting altogether. We need to ensure that all Americans, but particularly those who have been historically and/or economically marginalized are represented when Congress and the FCC enact media policy," Tristani said
"We've seen the results of the deregulatory zeal of the '96 Telecom Act. Media companies have grown more powerful swallowing up the competition, while consumers continue to face soaring cable bills, confusion and poor service in the phone market, and fewer diverse sources of local news and information on TV and in newspapers. Today we are giving notice to industry, Congress and the Administration that we will fight to ensure that media markets are open and competitive, and give consumers real choices and fair prices," said Gene Kimmelman, senior director for public policy at Consumers Union.
The full list of groups that have endorsed the bill of media rights, as well as the bill itself, can be found at: www.citizensmediarights.org.
