Senate bars FCC from revisiting Fairness Doctrine

[Desertdog]

I am not going to start celebrating yet, even though this sounds good.  What do you think will happen to it in the House.  My thoughts are it will die someplace along the way.

Senate bars FCC from revisiting Fairness Doctrine 
 
Feb 26 02:58 PM US/Eastern
By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press Writer
 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96JF8V00&show_article=1       
 
 
  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate has barred federal regulators from reviving a policy, abandoned two decades ago, that required balanced coverage of issues on public airwaves.
The Senate vote on the so-called Fairness Doctrine was in part a response to conservative radio talk show hosts who feared that Democrats would try to revive the policy to ensure liberal opinions got equal time.

The Federal Communications Commission implemented the doctrine in 1949, but stopped enforcing it in 1987 after deciding new sources of information and programming made it unnecessary.

President Barack Obama says he has no intention of reimposing the doctrine, but Republicans, led by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., say they still need a guarantee the government would not establish new quotas or guidelines on programming.
 

[Nitrogen]

OK, Now I'm REALLY in Bizarro-world.
First PELOSI says "HELL NO ON THE AWB TALK" and now this on the fairness Doctrine?

[Manedwolf]

"Fairness Doctrine" was poison as a phrase. It will be passed in another form, likely at the local level, via ACORN and "community activists".

[MechAg94]

Sort of a straw man?  They keep saying Obama wasn't in favor of it, but it was selected Congressional Democrats who were mentioning bringing it back.

[Waitone]

Fairness doctrine would put too much heat on congress.  Now the battle moves to individual stations to fight it out over local content.  Local advocates of both stripes will now carry the ball.  Pressure is off national outlets and on local stations and station managers. 

The battle is not over.  Only the terrain changed.

[Standing Wolf]

Government is going to protect us from government, right?

[longeyes]

I understand Durbin got through something that establishes "diversity of ownership" on the local level and the necessity for content to be "in the public interest."

I think we know what public interest and diversity have become euphemisms for.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

I understand Durbin got through something that establishes "diversity of ownership" on the local level and the necessity for content to be "in the public interest."

I think we know what public interest and diversity have become euphemisms for.

Correct. Who defines what is "in the public interest?"  Why, that'll be some congressional committee, of course!  It won't be called the Fairness Doctrine, it'll be something much more soothing and happy sounding.  It's not over.

[Manedwolf]

Fairness doctrine would put too much heat on congress.  Now the battle moves to individual stations to fight it out over local content.  Local advocates of both stripes will now carry the ball.  Pressure is off national outlets and on local stations and station managers. 

The battle is not over.  Only the terrain changed.

And ACORN has endless federal funds to fight at the local level.