UPDATE: THE FCC AND SENATE BILL S-1046

A few weeks ago I wrote about the FCC and Ownership of American Media. The issue at that time was quite simple... with little public debate, the FCC was poised to approve a massive rewriting of the rules governing ownership of television stations and other media in the United States. As most everyone expected it would, the five-member Commission lifted a ban on owning a newspaper and a television station in the same city, as well as a ban on allowing ownership of two TV stations in most markets and as many as three in large cities. FCC Commissioners also increased the number of homes a media company can reach to 45 percent from 35 percent.

Now, two weeks later, an unlikely band of six Republicans stands poised to undo the new cap of 45 percent. A bipartisan bill, S-1046, sponsored by Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Senator Fritz Hollings (D-South Carolina), would roll back the network cap to 35 percent. The bill will likely be voted out of the U.S. Senate's Commerce Committee to the Senate floor on Thursday, July 19, unhampered by the committee's chairman, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona.).

If you care at all about the growing influence of the media, the free flow of information, the benefits of local competition, and the power of a diverse media marketplace, then contact your U.S. Senator today to share your support for S-1046.