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Jan 17, 2008 -- Coalition Commends Rep. Eshoo for Sponsoring H.R. 4882 January 18, 2008
The Honorable Anna Eshoo
205 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Eshoo:
The undersigned organizations are writing to express our appreciation for your leadership in introducing H.R. 4882, The Broadcast Licensing in the Public Interest Act. We strongly believe that public interest obligations are an essential part of the upcoming debate about the future of television, especially in light of the digital transition, and welcome your engagement in the conversation about how to define the baselines for the television service that American viewers deserve from their local broadcasters.
Currently, broadcasters do not fulfill their most basic pledge to serve the American viewers with adequate public service programming. Studies show that broadcasters have provided little civic and electoral affairs programming. A 2004 study found during the election cycle a typical half-hour news broadcast contained only three minutes and 11 seconds of campaign coverage. Although 55% of broadcasts included stories about the presidential election, just 8% reported on local races for Congress, state legislature, city council or other local posts. Only one-third of election programming related to issues; most pertained to campaign strategy and the "horserace."
Similarly, the Federal Communications Commission has failed American television viewers. The agency has dragged its feet in the handling of the digital television transition. In 1999, it issued a Notice of Inquiry asking about how to define broadcasters' public interest obligations in the digital transition. Now, almost 10 years later, the agency has yet to begin a formal rulemaking to adopt those rules.
Congress must play a stronger role in defining what television should look like after the transition and how the publicly owned airwaves are used to inform the American people, and thus strengthen our nation and our democratic discourse. Not only will clear public service obligations ensure quality programming for viewers, they will also create certainty for broadcasters while helping them build a business model that can succeed in a new, extremely competitive environment.
The ideas put forth in this legislation are a positive start to creating a new approach toward ensuring that American viewers are well served by broadcast licensees and that our nation receives fair compensation for allowing the licensees to use the publicly owned airwaves. We look forward to working with you on these efforts to strengthen the public interest obligations.
Sincerely,
Campaign Legal Center
Children Now
Common Cause
Media Access Project
New America Foundation
United Church of Christ |
