House Rolls Back Media Ownership Changes

<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=6&u=/ap/20030723/ap_on_go_ot/media_ownership_25>


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House Rolls Back Media Ownership Changes
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By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The House voted Wednesday to prevent federal regulators from letting individual broadcast companies own television stations serving nearly half the national TV market, ignoring the preferences of its own Republican leaders and a Bush administration veto threat.

By a 400-21 vote, lawmakers approved a spending bill with language blocking a Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) decision to let companies own TV stations serving up to 45 percent of the country's viewers. The current ceiling is 35 percent.


Despite GOP control of the White House, Congress and the FCC (news - web sites), the House vote set the stage for what may ultimately be an unraveling of a regulatory policy that the party strongly favors. The fight now moves to the Senate, where several lawmakers of both parties want to include a similar provision in their version of the bill.


Top Republicans are hoping that, with leverage from the threat of a first-ever veto by President Bush (news - web sites), the final House-Senate compromise bill later this year will drop the provision thwarting the FCC.


In a show of defiance, FCC Chairman Michael Powell issued a written statement before the vote defending the commission's decision. The five-member FCC approved the new rules on a 3-2 party-line vote on June 2.


"We are confident in our decision," Powell said. "We created enforceable rules that reflect the realities of today's media marketplace. The rules will benefit Americans by protecting localism, competition and diversity."

small victory....big if it stands. Hope they make Smirky veto it - he'll be on the record then - not a good spot for him.

I doubt Bush will try to veto that. Political suicide..........VETO VETO VETO!!

hehe

How stupid can they get?

no need to veto the spending bill since this would have been dropped from it.

The way they've done this, most of the Reps get to take credit for voting against it, then DeLay and Frist appoint people to the committee to resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions who just "happen" to cut this out of the final bill that goes to *.

GUess I'm just not a trusting soul If it seems too good to be true, maybe it is.

"Top Republicans are hoping that, with leverage from the threat of a first-ever veto by President Bush (news - web sites), the final House-Senate compromise bill later this year will drop the provision thwarting the FCC. "

That's exactly the scenario. It's all laid out in advance. Everyone votes for it safe in the knowledge that it will never be in the final bill. That way, they go on record voting for it, and can use that in their campaigns. But the measure gets dropped (as arranged) so that The Criminal Cabal's propaganda industry can solidify their control over the nation. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

This is the same way we have seen in the past all of these anti-abortion idiotic laws slipped into bills. They get their 100% rating from the right-wing for voting for an idiotic provision they know will never see the light of day.

House Boy Mikey Powell wouldn't be "retiring" to his cushy job in the industry (as he has announced) if he hadn't completed his "Massa's" diktats.

Notice how the Yahoo story makes no mention of the newspaper/tv cross-ownership rule and the owning two tv stations in one market rule.

Allowing networks to own 45% reach pales in comparison to what tv/newspaper cross-ownership will do. And the Repubs, unless they changed their mind since last night, are refusing to.

Today, the House rejected an amendment by two Democrats, Maurice D. Hinchey of New York and David E. Price of North Carolina, that would have reversed two other new media ownership rules. Those rules would make it easier for a company to own a newspaper and a broadcast station in the same city and allow a company to own more TV stations in the same market.

The House voted 254 to 174 to defeat the amendment after some members said they supported it in principle but urged their colleagues to vote against it on tactical grounds. They said they feared that if the amendment were adopted, the bill would not pass by a veto-proof margin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/23/business/media/23FCC.html?pagewanted=2

and thank them...

Oh and george please attempt to veto, this is veto
proof, please do... I dare you, I double dare you.

Adios Senior Powell pequenio!!!!

This is outstanding!!!

Their Fascist policy is cracking and crumbling!!!!

YEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAW!!!!!


LOL!:wow::bounce::wow:

:bounce::wow::bounce::wow::bounce:

They could be doing more. But I suppose that is the most important part.