Statement: The FCC Must Check Corporate Power and Stop Media Consolidation

The FCC has announced plans to vote on whether or not to allow big companies to own even more media in the United States by the end of 2007. Below is the statement of Prometheus Radio Project founder Pete Tridish on the FCC's rush to judgment:

"The Prometheus Radio Project would like to express its concern about recently announced plans for the FCC to vote on changing the protections against consolidation of media ownership.

We continue to oppose the weakening of these rules, which defend the public from unchecked corporate power in media. In the 2003 lawsuit, Prometheus vs. the FCC, decided by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the court ordered the FCC to reconsider the ill-advised changes to those ownership rules that were passed by Chairman Michael Powell.

In the time line currently being proposed by Chairman Martin, we do not believe that the Commission will be able to circulate it's
conclusions based upon the comments submitted and fully address the
demands of the remanded decision. We appreciate the opportunities for public comment. However, these public hearings have been announced to the public on extremely short notice and often held in the middle of a weekday. Reflective of whirlwind Washington DC scheduling, the scheduling of these hearings has not been considerate of the schedules of most working people, employed outside the world of media policy. Despite this significant inconvenience