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Media Reform Agenda 2005
Posted on January 04, 2005
Have you checked out the Just Media Project? Wondering what's next in the movement to democratize our media system? Free Press has layed out a plan and we encourage you to get involved.
By Robert McChesney:
Media Ownership: Blocking Consolidation, Serving the Public Interest, Fighting Commercialization. While we don't expect the FCC to lift media ownership caps in the immediate future, it's a safe bet that they will try again in the next four years. We're keeping the issue in the news, conducting research and building the legal case for ownership limits in preparation for another Bush Administration attack on the public interest. We're also working to expand the number of low-power FM radio stations available to communities nationwide.
Community Internet: Broadband as a Nonprofit, Public Utility. This is one of the most exciting and promising opportunities for media reformers. The goal is to offer affordable broadband Internet access to residents, businesses and local governments as a basic utility — just like water, gas and electricity. New wireless technologies allow local governments to offer faster, cheaper and more reliable access than ever before. But these innovations are being fought every step of the way by the biggest telecom monopolies. We will continue to protect the rights of local communities to determine how best to serve their own citizens.
Public Broadcasting & Noncommercial Media: Enhanced Funding, Diversity and Accessibility. True public broadcasting in the United States — long under attack by commercial media giants and increasingly strapped for cash — is now in serious jeopardy. In 2005, Free Press will launch a national campaign to organize a broad coalition to advance proactive policies that will generate secure, long-term funding for traditional, independent and other non-commercial media — including community radio, television, expanded public access programming, student media, and local independent newspapers and Web sites.
Cable TV: Breaking Monopoly Control of Content. Today, 70 percent of television viewers are cable subscribers. The cable franchise renewal process — an agreement between a community and its cable provider — offers a terrific opportunity to increase access to community media and broadband Internet. Yet all too often, negotiations are done quietly with little public participation. Working with local and national groups, Free Press is working to vastly increase the number of people aware of cable TV as an organizing and action issue, through community TV and radio PSAs, as well as outreach and education to municipal associations, nonprofits, online organizations and other groups.
The Next Great Media Policy Battle
All of these issues — and more — will be on the chopping block when Congress reopens the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as it is expected to do this year, shaping our entire media system for decades to come. All media issues hang in the balance — swaying between informed citizen participation and aggressive corporate lobbying. Free Press will be there to provide analysis and tools for you to influence the debate. In preparation for the battles to come, we'll monitor and support activism on the full range of media issues, including copyright and intellectual property, global media, and the rights of media workers.