The NAA is stunned that any policymaker in the Internet era would propose to keep a 1970s-era law that prevents broadcast stations and newspapers from being owned by the same company. We are deeply disappointed that Chairman Wheeler’s draft order would keep in place a 40-year-old rule that is more obsolete than the eight-track tape or the mainframe computer. Investment and mergers will continue to flow to unregulated Internet businesses that compete with news publishers for advertising, but investment and collaboration will be blocked among entities who serve local audiences — newspaper and radio and television. The result will be less resources for the local news on which our democracy depends. The Commission’s analysis is flawed and does not account for today’s reality in a highly converged marketplace that offers a wealth of information through the Internet and innovative technologies. Preserving local media should be a priority of this Commission, and we are disappointed with a decision that contradicts its own past findings and tentative conclusions.
The FCC’s fact sheet can be found at http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2016/db0627/DOC-340033A1.pdf
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For more information please contact Danielle Coffey, News Media Alliance VP of public policy at danielle@newsmediaalliance.org.
About News Media Alliance:
The News Media Alliance is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 news organizations and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and Canada. Alliance members include print, digital and mobile publishers of original news content. Headquartered near Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Va., the association focuses on ensuring the future of new media through communication, research, advocacy and innovation. Information about the News Media Alliance can be found at www.newsmediaalliance.org.
Danielle Coffey is President & CEO of the News/Media Alliance. View bio.
