Some in Congress pushing for reinstatement of Fairness Doctrine

SOME IN CONGRESS PUSHING FOR REINSTATEMENT OF THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Jim Puzzanghera]
In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission stopped requiring broadcasters to air contrasting views on controversial issues, a policy known as the Fairness Doctrine. The move is widely credited with triggering the explosive growth of political talk radio. Now, after conservative talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage helped torpedo a major immigration bill, some in Congress have suggested reinstating the Fairness Doctrine to balance out those powerful syndicated voices. That has unleashed an armada of opposition on the airwaves, Internet blogs and in Washington, where broadcasters have joined with Republicans to fight what they call an attempt to zip their lips. Opponents of the Fairness Doctrine said it would make station owners so fearful of balancing viewpoints that they'd simply avoid airing controversial topics -- the "chilling effect" on debate that the FCC cited in repealing the rule two decades ago. "Free speech must be just that -- free from government influence, interference and censorship," David K. Rehr, president of the National Assn. of Broadcasters, wrote to lawmakers. There's little chance the fairness doctrine will return in the near future, as FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin publicly opposes it and the White House wrote to broadcasters last week assuring them that Bush would veto any legislation reinstating it. But the issue has renewed debate about how far the government should go in regulating the public airwaves.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fairness23jul23,1,281...
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* The Dangers of the Fairness Doctrine
[SOURCE: New York Sun, AUTHOR: Former FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth hfr@furchtgott-roth.com]
[Commentary] Broadcast investments in Disney, CBS, Clear Channel, and thousands of smaller companies would suffer if the Fairness Doctrine were revived. If a local sportscaster calls Alex Rodriguez the best baseball talent in New York, fans of Jeter, Reyes, Wright, and Maine might want equal time. Anyone not happy with Katie Couric's statements about the beauty of a town could demand time to respond. Successful programming rife with opinion, such as Rush Limbaugh's show, could not easily be broadcast. Even ordinary, day-to-day broadcast operations would be affected. Broadcast owners would not necessarily accommodate every request for response time, but disgruntled viewers could and would make their dissatisfaction known to the FCC at the time of license renewal. Companies owning stations up for license renewal could be forced to confront a large number of complaints simply due to the content of their programming.
http://www.nysun.com/article/58938