[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 163 (Monday, September 21, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4613-H4614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MEASURING THE ECONOMICS DRIVING INVESTMENTS AND ACCESS FOR DIVERSITY
ACT OF 2020
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5567) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the
Federal Communications Commission to consider market entry barriers for
socially disadvantaged individuals in the communications marketplace
report under section 13 of such Act.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5567
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Measuring the Economics
Driving Investments and Access for Diversity Act of 2020'' or
the ``MEDIA Diversity Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. CONSIDERING MARKET ENTRY BARRIERS FOR SOCIALLY
DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS.
Section 13(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
163(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Considering socially disadvantaged individuals.--In
assessing the state of competition under subsection (b)(1)
and regulatory barriers under subsection (b)(3), the
Commission, with the input of the Office of Communications
Business Opportunities of the Commission, shall consider
market entry barriers for socially disadvantaged individuals
in the communications marketplace in accordance with the
national policy under section 257(b).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. McNerney) and the gentleman from Montana (Mr.
Gianforte) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5567.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5567, the Measuring the
Economics Driving Investments and Access for Diversity Act of 2020, or,
simply, the MEDIA Diversity Act of 2020.
This bill promotes much-needed diversity in the communications
marketplace, and I commend Representatives Veasey and Long and their
staffs for all their efforts towards this bipartisan bill.
I also, of course, want to thank Communications and Technology
Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, full committee Chairman Pallone,
Ranking Member Walden, and Ranking Member Latta for their work in
bringing this bipartisan legislation to the floor.
This bill requires the FCC to consider, with the input of its Office
of Communications Business Opportunities, market entry barriers for
socially disadvantaged individuals in the communications marketplace.
When Representatives Long and Veasey first introduced this bill in
January of this year, it was, of course, a different time. The murder
of George Floyd has since led to protests across the country,
highlighting decades of racial inequalities.
Those inequalities exist in our communications marketplace. For
example, the owners of broadcast and cable media outlets do not reflect
our diverse population. These media outlets can influence people's
opinions and perceptions through educational, political, entertainment,
and news programming.
Diversity in ownership of media outlets helps to ensure that
programming offers different perspectives and that viewers have access
to programming that is relevant to them.
Experts have also found that ownership diversity can provide
financial and competitive benefits. But in a concentrated
communications marketplace, barriers for entry still exist, and the
Federal Communications Commission is already tasked with studying what
those barriers are. This bill simply asks the FCC to also consider
market entry barriers for socially disadvantaged individuals.
Creating ownership parity to reflect the country's diversity is a
worthy goal, and this bipartisan effort is just a small step that can
have a genuine impact in identifying market entry barriers.
To be clear, there is so much more that we need to do, and the Energy
and Commerce Committee, 2 weeks ago, reported out two additional bills
that also take important steps to diversify our media market, one of
which my Republican colleagues unfortunately objected to.
I would call on my Republican colleagues to support those measures as
well when they come to the floor. This is no time to say that our work
is done. We must recognize that Americans need transformative change to
meet this moment.
While incremental steps are crucial, we must do more. These
additional measures that were just reported by the committee, like this
one, are modest changes that will help begin the task of comprehensive
reform.
I am proud of the good work done by the members of the committee, and
I am proud of this bill. I hope we can come together as a committee and
as a Congress and do the additional work that is needed.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the MEDIA
Diversity Act of 2020, and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1730
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5567, the MEDIA
Diversity Act, introduced by my friend from Missouri, Representative
Long.
This legislation represents another step forward to uplift minority
voices and promote media diversity. I understand how important it is to
serve communities with local programming that accurately reflects a
community's population.
I have also seen the media industry make great strides to promote
diversity and create new content to appeal
[[Page H4614]]
to communities that they serve. Many programs and initiatives have been
established to promote opportunities for women, minorities, veterans,
and other socially disadvantaged individuals to participate in the
media marketplace.
Of course, the media industry is only one small part of the vast
communications marketplace that also includes mobile wireless
providers, online video distributors, fixed broadband providers, and so
on.
There are also new entrants in the tech industry who are providing
additional opportunities for minorities, women, veterans, and
underrepresented groups that make their voices heard. There is still
work to do to make sure these voices and underserved communities are
represented in traditional media and all other areas of the large
communications marketplace, and this legislation will help.
I am glad to support this piece of bipartisan legislation that will
allow the FCC to evaluate the market barriers socially disadvantaged
individuals face in the communications marketplace.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important
legislation to make sure all voices are heard, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5567 promotes much needed diversity
in the communications marketplace. As the Member who represents the
most racially and ethnically diverse city in the country, Stockton,
California, I want to make sure that the owners of broadcast and cable
media outlets reflect our diverse population. H.R. 5567 is a step
toward achieving that goal.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5567.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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