[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

AN OPEN LETTER TO FCC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL POWELL REGARDING THE
CONSOLIDATION OF OWNERSHIP OF AMERICAN MEDIA

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HON. BERNARD SANDERS

of vermont

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I am enclosing a letter that I recently
wrote to Michael Powell, Chairman of the FCC, regarding the growing
consolidation of media ownership in America. This letter is especially
relevant today as the FCC is now in the process of eliminating the few
remaining regulations which would stop further consolidation of the
industry.

February 27, 2003
Dear Chairman Powell, let's be clear. One of the great
crises facing this country is that a handful of huge
corporations control the flow of information. Whether it is
television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books or the
Internet, fewer and fewer giant conglomerates are determining
what we see, hear and read. Unless we stop this trend and
create a media with much broader ownership and diversity of
opinion, it is not certain that democracy will survive in
this country. This is a major, major concern that must be
dealt with immediately. I fear very much that if we continue
down the path we're on, we will end up like the former Soviet
Union--a nation where there were many different news outlets,
but all were controlled by the same entity. The difference is
that in this country it will be multi-national corporations
who control the media, and not the government.
Let me express my outrage that the FCC has chosen to have
only one public hearing on what is one of the most important
issues facing Americans today. Before any decisions are made
regarding deregulation and increased corporate control over
the media, the FCC must hear from the American people. In my
view, the FCC should hold at least twenty meetings across the
country to hear directly what ordinary the people have to
say. Having held two town meetings in the state of Vermont on
the issue of media consolidation, I can tell you first hand
that the people of this country want to be heard on this
issue. In Vermont, at the two public meetings that we held,
over 600 people came out. I guarantee that you will have huge
audiences all over the country and, let me take this
opportunity to invite you to Vermont. Please do not make a
decision without input from the people. Given what goes on in
Washington it may be hard to believe, but there are opinions
in this country which do not necessarily agree with Rupert
Murdoch, General Electric, the Disney Corporation.and other
large campaign contributors.
Why do we want more de-regulation and more concentration of
ownership in the media. We should be moving in the other
direction--less concentration, more diverse ownership and
more points of view. Television is the means by which most
Americans get their ``news.'' Without exception, every major
network is owned by a huge conglomerate that has
enormous conflicts of interest. Fox News Channel is owned
by Rupert Murdoch, a right-wing billionaire who already
owns a significant portion of the world's media. His
network has close ties to the Republican Party, and among
his ``fair and balanced'' commentators is Newt Gingrich.
NBC is owned by General Electric, one of the largest
corporations in the world and a company with enormous
conflicts of interest. GE has a long history of anti-union
activity. It has substantial interests in weapons
manufacturing, finance, nuclear power and many other
industries. It has vital concerns about our trade policy as
they have been one of the leaders in shutting down American
plants and moving them to low-wage countries like China and
Mexico. GE is also an important contributor to the Republican
Party.
ABC is owned by the Disney Corp., which produces toys and
products in developing countries where they provide their
workers atrocious wages and working conditions. CBS is owned
by Viacom, another huge media conglomerate that owns, among
other entities, MTV, Showtime, Nickelodeon, VHI, TNN, CMT, 39
broadcast television stations, 184 radio stations, Paramount
Pictures and Blockbuster Inc.
The essential problem with television is not just a right-
wing corporate bias in news and programming, or the
transformation of politics and government into entertainment
and sensationalism. Nor is it just the constant bombardment
of advertising, much of it directed at children. It's that
the most important issues facing the middle-class and working
people of our country are rarely discussed. The average
American watches dozens of hours a week of television, but to
a very significant degree does not see his or her reality
reflected on the screen.
In my strong opinion what the people of this country see,
hear and read should not be controlled by a handful of multi-
national conglomerates. More concentration of ownership in
the media industry would be a disaster for this country. Stop
the deregulation, and begin hearings on how we can have more
diverse ownership and more divergent viewpoints on the public
airwaves. Democracy is too precious to be given over to
corporations interested only in growing bigger and more
profitable. The airwaves and cable-ways belong to the people,
and the interests of the people should be served.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Bernard Sanders,
U.S. Congressman.

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