[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13569]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CONCENTRATION OF OWNERSHIP IN MEDIA

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                               speech of

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 2, 2003

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Communications Commission voted 
along party lines to put more power in the hands of a few corporate 
giants at the expense of the American people.
  If the FCC's goal was to line the pockets of Disney, General 
Electric, AOL-Time Warner, Viacom, and News Corp. then I say to them 
``congratulations!'' because they have succeeded.
  By allowing these corporate interests to own more newspapers, more TV 
stations, more radio stations, and more of our public airwaves, we are 
taking this country down a dangerous path.
  We all learned at a young age that knowledge is power. But now, the 
flow of knowledge will be controlled by a handful of media giants.
  They will have almost total control of our news, information, and 
entertainment.
  They will determine what we get and when we get it.
  They will determine what we see, read, and hear. That is 
unacceptable!
  And why have they done this?
  They say that the rise of cable TV and the internet made the former 
rules obsolete.
  That's the kind of conclusion you reach when the only people you 
listen to are media moguls.
  Who is listening to the American people?
  We have been shut out of the process.
  In its haste to protect these company's financial interests, the FCC 
has failed to defend the public interest.
  We must take action to right this wrong.
  If we do not, our media will have less local content, less diversity 
of opinion, and fewer opportunities for minority ownership.
  It is time for the American people to stand up and be counted. It is 
time for those who represent the American people to do the same.

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