Abstract

Congress Rebuffs the FCC

This article comments on the Congressional revolt against a decision by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to loosen media ownership rules. The House of Representatives, in an unprecedented rebuff of the agenda on big media, voted 400 to 21 for an appropriations bill that includes language blocking implementation of a rule that would allow a single corporation to own television stations reaching 45 percent of people in the U.S. Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan announced that he will use a rare Resolution of Disapproval to force a Senate vote to reverse both the television ownership measure and a cross-ownership rule change that would permit one company to own the daily newspaper and most of the major television and radio stations in a single city.