SUPPORT GROWING FOR CONGRESSIONAL MEDIA OWNERSHIP LEGISLATION
Support for media ownership limitations continues to mount in the wake of action by the Senate Commerce Committee on legislation that would undo many of the FCC’s June 2 rule changes. Since it was marked up June 19, the bill (S-1046) to restore several media ownership rules has picked up some influential co-sponsors, raising the total of co-sponsors to 38. Senate Minority Leader Daschle (D-S.D.) is the most recent co-sponsor, signing onto the bill by Senate Appropriations Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) Fri.
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The FCC’s release of the media ownership order Wed. (see separate story, this issue) paves the way for Sen. Dorgan (D- N.D.) to introduce a “legislative veto” of the Commission’s ruling. Dorgan said Wed. he would introduce the veto legislation when Congress returned July 7. Using the Congressional Review Act, Dorgan must introduce the bill within 60 days of publication of the rules. From there, the legislation may be discharged from committee if it attracts 30 co-sponsors. At least 20 days must pass after publication of the rules before a discharge petition may be introduced. If passed in the Senate, it would move directly to the House floor, but House and Senate leaders aren’t obligated to call up the bill for a vote. Dorgan has acknowledged the legislation would be a longshot, especially since there is less support in the House.
Several other influential Democrats have joined in support of the bill since it was amended to include cross- ownership rules and radio divestiture along with its original goal -- to restore the 35% broadcast ownership cap. Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Leahy (Vt.), Banking Committee ranking Democrat Sarbanes (Md.) and Govt. Affairs ranking Democrat Lieberman (Conn.) all have signed on.
But it’s unclear how Senate Majority Leader Frist (R- Tenn.) feels about the media ownership swell in the Senate. After the Commerce Committee approved the bill, a spokesman for Frist said the Majority Leader was focused on Medicare reform and hadn’t had an opportunity to study the media ownership issue. The Senate passed the Medicare bill (S-1) June 26. Industry sources have said Frist hadn’t shown his hand on the bill, and some speculated that he wasn’t interested in addressing the issue.
An industry source following the bill said the amendments to S-1046 made it more unlikely it would pass, especially since NAB withdrew support after the cross- ownership ban was added. Stevens supported the ban on cross- ownership after it was modified for exceptions for rural areas where cross-ownership is the only alternative to out- of-state control.
A source said the array of amendments added to the bill, which would virtually wipe out the FCC’s media ownership decision, might detract support from members who otherwise might support a 35% broadcast ownership cap. The source said the amendments wer4 likely to put emphasis back on the appropriations process, where a cleaner measure might win support.
Support is mounting on the House side as well, despite the fact that the leadership there clearly has expressed its opposition to similar 35% ownership cap legislation (HR-2052) from Commerce Committee Vice Chmn. Burr (R-N.C.). More than half of the 57 members of the Commerce Committee have co- sponsored it, despite the fact that Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) has said he won’t hold a markup, although he is planning a hearing on media ownership. The bill now has 146 co-sponsors, with 228 needed to bypass the committee and send the bill to the House floor.