Democracy Threatened by Deregulation

Author: Zach Manganello

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be voting on the issue of further deregulation of the mass media on June 2. Most Americans don't know about this because, for obvious conflict-of-interest reasons, the mass media aren't reporting on it.
The big media corporations already command a disproportionate amount of social and political power. These corporations are motivated by profits, but at the same time they get to decide what Americans see and hear on the news. This, to me, seems an untenable combination.
The upcoming FCC vote (Docket 02-277) would allow these corporations to further consolidate their holdings, meaning TV and radio stations would become less local and more homogenous (the so-called "Clear Channel effect").
I believe that a thriving democracy depends on a full airing of differing viewpoints. Further deregulation will hurt American democracy, a harm which far outweighs the meager efficiency gains that result from corporate consolidation.
FCC Chairman Michael Powell - one of five presidentially appointed commissioners and the son of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell - is pushing hard for further deregulation and wants to vote on this before the American people even know it's an issue.
Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders and one FCC Commissioner, Michael Copps, have done a heroic job in trying to bring this issue to the attention of the media and the public. But the vote is only a month away, and many Americans still don't know what the FCC is, let alone about the upcoming vote on deregulating the mass media.
If this vote goes through it might mean that a few media executives really will be in control of the hearts and minds of U.S. citizens. No matter what the outcome of the upcoming vote, if they want either my heart or my mind, they're going to have to come and pry it out of my cold dead fingers. You can file public comments on this and other issues with the FCC by visiting:

Zachary Manganello is a physics major from Cumberland, Maine. He holds the highest grade of FCC amateur radio license and is general manager of
WRMC-FM 91.1.