Consumer Coalition to Press for ‘Democratic’ Telecom Legislation
A coalition of 30 consumer groups Mon. announced a lobbying campaign to push Congress to consider their “Bill of Rights” -- a set of principles they've endorsed in common. The groups hope to right the errors of the ‘96 Telecom Act, which they said narrows consumer choice while raising prices.
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“Many organizations have been working on these issues for decades,” said Common Cause Pres. Chellie Pingree: “We needed a starting point with agreement on core principles.” The ‘96 Telecom Act is a “cautionary tale” of what happens when media policy is made without proper consumer input, she said. The core principles say Americans are entitled to media that has an “uninhibited marketplace of ideas,” uses public airwaves to serve the public interest and represent local communities.
Common Cause released a report saying that since the Act, cable rates have doubled, local phone rates have risen 20%, nearly half a million jobs have been lost, the market value of telecom companies has fallen about $2 trillion and large media companies have invested less in news and information, particularly on the local level.
Since 1998, 8 major media and telecom companies and 3 trade groups have spent about $358 million in campaign contributions, the report said: “All this investment once again gives radio and television broadcasters, telephone companies, long-distance providers, cable systems and Internet companies a huge advantage over average citizens.”
Coalition members declined to describe their specific strategy for pursuing their agenda on the Hill. But the DTV transition bill Rep. Barton (R-Tex.) is working on is an immediate possibility, said Consumers Union Senior Dir.-Public Policy Gene Kimmelman. He said the coalition hasn’t agreed on a date on which it would recommend the transition to end, it just wants to get the principles adopted in whatever bill is adopted.
A key concern is the fate of people whose analog sets will be rendered useless by the transition, Kimmelman said. “We hope to have that discussion,” Kimmelman said. Public interest obligations are another issue the coalition is eager to press on the Hill, if not in the DTV bill, he said: “Congress has to address this and where it fits in the equation.”
“Many groups are already engaged in different strategies” in trying to pursue aspects of the coalition’s goals, said Gloria Tristani, managing dir.-Office of Communication, United Church of Christ and a former FCC comr. But this is the first time so many groups have come together in agreement. The group’s agenda has been endorsed by 116 organizations, including niche media groups. With the Internet as a communications tool, coalition members believe they can bring a significant voice to Hill deliberations, they said.
“We are 20 million Americans who stand strong,” Tristani said, adding that Congress must enact laws ensuring that all media is affordable and accessible.