A major defeat for democracy is imminent at the FCC, which is just three weeks away from voting on significant changes to the rules that govern media ownership. FCC Chairman Michael Powell, the son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, has not only withheld information on these changes to the agency’s five commissioners, but he has also refused to make documentation on them available to the public. In all likelihood, they will relax these rules, allowing even greater consolidation of media control among the huge corporations that already dominate television and radio.It’s easy to forget sometimes that citizens own the airwaves, and that the major networks and media companies pay for licenses to use them. The fact that these changes are underway with little or no public discourse (Powell has repeatedly stated that he feels that there is no need for further public comment) represents a lapse in democratic process — made all the more dangerous by the fact that, once consolidation happens, it will take a mammoth fight to undo it.
If you’re moved by this impending transgression, MoveOn.org shows you how to speak out.
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