Copps: Current Ownership Proposal Is Déjà Vu-Plus

Add former Democratic FCC commissioner and media consolidation critic Michael Copps to those criticizing Democratic Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski for his media ownership proposal.

That is not a big surprise since Copps voted against a similar proposal offered up by then-FCC chairman Kevin Martin -- a Republican -- in 2007. Copps, currently heading up Common Cause's Media and Democracy Reform Initiative, blogged that he was shocked the Genachowski proposal was even more deregulatory than Martin's. In addition to loosening newspaper/TV cross-ownership, the current proposed media ownership changes include lifting limits on newspaper/radio and TV/radio cross-ownership, although it also would make some joint sales agreements subject to local ownership limits that are not being loosened. FCC Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake said also defended the item from critics. "Reports that the order would make it easier to own a top TV station and a major newspaper in a market are wrong," said Lake. "In fact, the order would strengthen the current rule by creating an express presumption against a waiver of the cross-ownership ban to allow such a combination. In addition, the proposed order preserves the existing TV duopoly rule, which forbids ownership of more than one of the top four TV stations in any market."