[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 152 (Wednesday, August 8, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44539-44540]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15457]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


[MB Docket Nos. 06-121, 02-277, MM Docket Nos. 01-235, 01-317, 
00-244; DA 07-3470]

2006 Quadrennial Regulatory Review

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice; comments requested.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the release of and seeks public 
comment on ten research studies on media ownership intended to inform 
the Commission's review of its broadcast ownership rules.

DATES: The agency must receive comments on or before October 1, 2007 
and reply comments on or before October 16, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by 
accessing the Electronic Comment Filing System, http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/, or the Federal eRulemaking Portal, http://www.regulations.gov. 
The Commission's contractor will receive hand-delivered or messenger-
delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary at 236 
Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Suite 110, Washington, DC 20002. Commercial 
overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and 
Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol 
Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and 
Priority mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, 
DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Connolly, Office of Strategic 
Planning & Policy Analysis, at (202) 418-1503. Press inquiries should 
be directed to Mary Diamond, Media Bureau, at (202) 418-2388.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. The Commission announces the release of ten research studies on 
media ownership intended to inform the Commission's comprehensive 
review of its broadcast ownership policies undertaken in rulemaking 
proceeding MB Docket No. 06-121 involving the issues raised by the 
opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 
Prometheus v. FCC, 373 F.3d 372 (2004) and its quadrennial review of 
its broadcast ownership rules and certain other rules, 2006 Quadrennial 
Review Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making, 71 FR 45511, August 9, 
2006. The studies, which were conducted by outside researchers and by 
Commission staff, examine a range of issues that impact diversity, 
competition, and localism, three important policy goals of those rules. 
Pursuant to this public notice, the Commission seeks public comment on 
the studies, which are available on the Commission's Web site at http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/studies.html. The Commission will incorporate 
the studies and the public comments in the record of this proceeding. 
The studies will also be peer-reviewed and the Commission intends to 
use the data collected in the studies, as well as the comments, to 
inform its decisions in the ownership proceeding.
    2. The following is a list of the media ownership studies released 
on July 31, 2007 and their respective authors and professional 
affiliations:
    Study 1: How People Get News and Information. This study surveys 
consumers about their use of media. It identifies consumers' primary, 
secondary, and tertiary sources of news and information and the 
frequency with which consumers access these sources. The author is 
Nielsen Media Research, Inc.
    Study 2: Ownership Structure and Robustness of Media. This study 
describes the ownership structure and robustness of current media, 
including broadcast television, cable television, satellite television, 
broadcast radio, satellite radio, newspapers, and the Internet. The 
information gathered concerning the current media marketplace is 
compared to the state of the media marketplace when the Commission last 
reviewed its ownership rules in the years 2002-2003. The authors are 
Kiran Duwadi, Scott Roberts, and Andrew Wise, FCC; and the Technical 
Appendix author is Anthony Bush, FCC.
    Study 3: Television Station Ownership Structure and the Quantity 
and Quality of TV Programming. This study analyzes the effect of 
ownership structure and robustness (as described in Study 2) on various 
measures of the quantity and the quality of different types of TV 
programming, including local news and public affairs, minority 
programming, children's programming, family programming, religious 
programming, and violent and indecent content. The author is Gregory S. 
Crawford, Department of Economics, University of Arizona.
    Study 4: News Operations. This study, which is divided into four 
sections, collects data on the size and scope of the news operations of 
radio and television stations and newspapers. It also analyzes the 
relationship between the nature of the news operations and market 
characteristics, including ownership structure and robustness. Section 
I is The Impact of Ownership Structure on Television Stations' News and 
Public Affairs Programming by author Daniel Shiman, FCC; Section II is 
Ownership Structure, Market Characteristics and the Quantity of News 
and Public Affairs Programming: An Empirical Analysis of Radio Airplay, 
by author Kenneth Lynch, FCC; Section III is Factors that Affect a 
Radio Station's Propensity to Adopt a News Format, by author Craig 
Stroup, FCC; and Section IV is The Effect of Ownership and Market 
Structure on News Operations, by author Pedro Almoguera, FCC.
    Study 5: Station Ownership and Programming in Radio. This study 
uses station-level data to examine how ownership structure affects the 
programming and audience of radio

[[Page 44540]]

stations. The author is Tasneem Chipty, CRA International, Inc.
    Study 6: The Effects of Cross-Ownership on the Local Content and 
Political Slant of Local Television News. This study examines the 
effect of newspaper cross-ownership on television news coverage using 
matched pairs of cross-owned and non-cross-owned television stations. 
The author is Jeffrey Milyo, Center for Applied Economics, University 
of Kansas, School of Business; Department of Economics and Truman 
School of Public Affairs, University of Missouri.
    Studies 7 and 8: These two studies examine levels of minority 
ownership of media companies and barriers to entry. Study 7: Minority 
and Female Ownership in Media Enterprises. The authors are Arie 
Beresteanu and Paul B. Ellickson, Duke University.
    Study 8: The Impact of the FCC's TV Duopoly Rule Relaxation on 
Minority and Women Owned Broadcast Stations 1999-2006. The author is 
Allen S. Hammond, IV, Santa Clara University.
    Study 9: Vertical Integration and the Market for Broadcast and 
Cable Television Programming. This study examines levels of vertical 
integration in the media industry. The author is Austan Goolsbee, 
University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business; American Bar 
Foundation; and National Bureau of Economic Research.
    Study 10: Review of the Radio Industry, 2007. This study updates a 
study done during our last review of the media ownership rules, which 
was titled ``Radio Industry Review 2002: Trends in Ownership, Format, 
and Finance.'' The author is George Williams, FCC.

Procedural Matters

    3. Interested parties may file comments on or before October 1, 
2007 and reply comments on or before October 16, 2007. Comments may be 
filed using: (1) The Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System 
(ECFS); (2) the Federal Government's eRulemaking Portal; or (3) by 
filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking 
Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (May 1, 1998).
     Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically 
using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ 
or the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers 
should follow the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting 
comments.
     For ECFS filers, if multiple docket or rulemaking numbers 
appear in the caption of this proceeding, filers must transmit one 
electronic copy of the comments for each docket or rulemaking number 
referenced in the caption. In completing the transmittal screen, filers 
should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, 
and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may also submit 
an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions, 
filers should send an e-mail to [email protected], and include the following 
words in the body of the message, ``get form.'' A sample form and 
directions will be sent in response.
     Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must 
file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one 
docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, 
filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or 
rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, 
by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. 
Postal Service mail (although we continue to experience delays in 
receiving U.S. Postal Service mail). All filings must be addressed to 
the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal 
Communications Commission.
     The Commission's contractor will receive hand-delivered or 
messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary at 236 
Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Suite 110, Washington, DC 20002. The filing 
hours at this location are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. All hand deliveries must be 
held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be 
disposed of before entering the building.
     Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service 
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton 
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.
     U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority 
mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW., Washington DC 20554.
    People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible 
formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic 
files, audio format) send an e-mail to [email protected] or call the 
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-
418-0432 (tty).
    4. This is a permit-but-disclose notice and comment rulemaking 
proceeding. Ex parte presentations are permitted, except during the 
Sunshine Agenda period, provided that they are disclosed as provided in 
the Commission's rules.
    5. For further information, contact Michelle Connolly at (202) 418-
1503 of the Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis. Press 
inquiries should be directed to Mary Diamond, Media Bureau, at (202) 
418-2388. TTY: (202) 418-7172 or (888) 835-5322.

Federal Communications Commission.
Royce Sherlock,
Chief, Industry Analysis Division, Media Bureau.
 [FR Doc. E7-15457 Filed 8-7-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P