The FCC must do more analysis of minority media ownership before...

The FCC must do more analysis of minority media ownership before adopting the quadrennial review order circulating for a vote, a few dozen groups said in two filings to docket 09-182 (http://xrl.us/bn2pqq) released Tuesday. The Media Bureau last week released such data (http://xrl.us/bnzz9y). A draft bureau order would allow waivers of cross-ownership rules barring a company from holding a daily newspaper and TV station within the same top-20 market, and end a ban on a radio station owning a daily in a market (CD Nov 20 p13). “While the completion of the 2010 Quadrennial Review is long overdue, the passage of time is no excuse to rush to completion of a flawed decision,” Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), NAACP, United Church of Christ and several others wrote (http://xrl.us/bn2ppr). They asked the agency to “move with deliberation and seek further comment before taking action.” The Center for Media Justice and NHMC sought a “court-ordered” analysis of the impact deregulation would have on minorities and women. The commission doesn’t plan such an analysis applying the Adarand standard from the 1995 Supreme Court decision of that name for the current quadrennial review, after the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sought more data in remanding the last quadrennial review order, and will do one for the review due in 2014 under the Telecom Act (CD Nov 19 p1). A “complete analysis of broadcast ownership data” and nonprofits having a chance for “substantive and thoughtful review of the findings” is needed, said the letter. Human Rights Defense Center and Institute for Local Self Reliance were among those backing the letter (http://xrl.us/bn2pqf). A future commission Adarand study “would be rendered moot,” because under the draft order “markets will be even more consolidated,” Free Press officials reported (http://xrl.us/bn2pq2) telling Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and separately an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel.