[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 79 (Monday, June 2, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H4761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RESTRICTION OF CIVIC PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE MEDIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Communications Commission today 
struck a very hard and damaging blow against democracy. They did so in 
a very close four to three ruling that will allow media corporations to 
own more and more of the public information distribution system that we 
all rely upon for the information upon which we base our civic 
decisions, the information upon which we base our votes for Members of 
Congress and for other offices all across the country.
  What is happening here? Why is it that the Republicans in the Federal 
Communications Commission are voting to restrict the voice of the 
American people while the Democrats are opposed to it? This is an issue 
that has been going on in this country now for almost three decades.
  In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission of Ronald Reagan 
stripped the fairness doctrine or the equal access clause from the FCC 
rules. The fairness doctrine was a simple provision that was placed in 
the FCC rules early on in the 1930s. It stipulates that if someone who 
owns a broadcast station, then a radio station, but now radio or 
television, has a political opinion and they express it editorially 
they have to provide for an alternative opinion by others in that 
community who may feel differently. That was stricken in 1987.
  In 1996, the Telecommunications Act was passed, fashioned by the 
Republican majority in this House, which gave rise to the commission 
decision today to restrict civic public access to the media and allow 
it to be controlled by an increasingly smaller number of people, a 
handful of people.
  This is damaging and dangerous to every democratic principle. It is 
damaging and dangerous to the future of this democratic republic.

                              {time}  2000

  Countries and governments such as ours, free countries, rely upon the 
open, free exchange of information. If you have a handful of people 
controlling the way information is distributed, you are not going to 
have a free and open exchange. That is dangerous to our country.
  What did the ruling do today? Under the new rules, a national 
television network may now acquire dozens of local broadcast stations 
and control up to 90 percent of the national television market. A 
single corporation may now acquire, in one city, up to three television 
stations, eight radio stations, the cable television system, numerous 
cable television stations, and the daily newspaper as well. No 
diversity. No contrary opinion. One voice speaking to the public in 
community after community after community across this country.
  When the Federal Communications Commission was established by this 
Congress, it was established in order to require that there be 
diversity and that the American people have access to the airwaves, 
which they own. The airwaves are owned by all the American people; they 
are not owned by one corporation or several corporations. Those 
corporations only lease them for periods of time. We need to return to 
a system where the American people have access to the means of 
communication in our Nation.
  If we are going to preserve this democratic Republic, if we are going 
to save the essence of American democracy, we are going to have to have 
the opportunity to discuss different opinions on important political 
social issues, whether they are foreign or domestic, in the open so 
that everybody has a chance to have their voice heard. Not just the 
elite, not just the big corporations, not just the people with all the 
money and the power.
  What is going on here? Why is there this connection and relationship 
between the Republican Party establishment here in Washington and the 
media corporations across the country? Republicans out there do not 
want to see this happen, groups as diverse as the National Consumer 
Network, the National Rifle Association, the Catholic Bishops, and a 
host of others have come out against this recent Federal Communication 
decision. The people of this country, whether they are Republicans or 
Democrats, are opposed to it; but the Republican establishment here in 
Washington is creating a situation where people do not have access to 
their own airwaves, do not have access to their own media.
  We are introducing legislation that is going to put a stop to this 
and reverse what has been going on now since at least 1987; and the 
sooner that legislation is passed, the sooner the American democracy 
will be saved.

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