[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
ENSURE THAT FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS REMAIN ON OUR RADIO AIRWAVES--SUPPORT 
                      THE BROADCASTER FREEDOM ACT

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, the enmity that exists between American talk 
radio and the Democratic Congress came into high relief this Monday as 
leaders in the Senate engaged in repeated and distorted personal 
attacks of a prominent American commentator.
  Now, while many see this as more politics as usual in Washington, DC, 
I see something more. I believe these attacks on talk radio are a 
precursor for returning censorship to the airwaves of America in the 
form of the Fairness Doctrine.
  This week Congressman Greg Walden and I requested that the Democratic 
leaders bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act to the floor of this Congress 
immediately and take the power away from the FCC in this or any future 
administration to regulate the airwaves of America. The Broadcaster 
Freedom Act is cosponsored by 203 Members of Congress, and it enjoys 
broad bipartisan support.
  The freedom of the press should not be a partisan issue. Let's reject 
the attacks on American radio personalities and ensure that the 
Fairness Doctrine stays on the ash heap of broadcast history, where it 
belongs.

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