The FCC's quadrennial media ownership review is getting some
gentle goosing from Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.)
In a letter dated Tuesday to FCC chairman Julius
Genachowski, Dingell, the former chair of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee, notes that there is another (2014) quadrennial review just around
the corner, while the FCC has yet to complete the 2010 review.
That review has been held up by a number of factors, including
court challenges to the old rules not resolved by 2010 and, most recently, the
FCC's agreement to solicit more input and a new study on the impact of its
proposal to loosen the ban on TV/newspaper cross-ownership (by broadening the
waiver policy), and lift the ban on radio/newspaper cross-ownership.
Dingell said he supported collecting more data
on minority ownership before proceeding with the final order, but as urged the
commission to move "expeditiously" to incorporate that new info and
vote the order so there can be a record on which to base the next review.
