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July 2nd
On June 2nd The FCC voted to roll back regulations on television broadcasters despite over 1 million Americans submitting their opposition in the form of calls and letters. Generally an FCC vote garners in the order of around one thousand comments, so it wasn't long before this loud outcry from the public was picked up by Congress and the Senate in the form of the Senate's Stevens-Hollings bill, and in Congress the Sanders bill (which calls for a complete rollback) and the Burr-Dingell bill (which rolls back only the national audience cap).
July 15th
With all three previous bills moving forward and gaining bi-partisan support Senators Dorgan, Feingold, and Lott have announced that they will introduce a congressional veto of the FCC rules using a little known provision of the Congressional Review Act. If the resolution were to pass the Senate, the House, and be signed by the President, the FCC's June 2nd ruling would be nullified.
In the House, Rep. Diane Watson has introduced a bill to ban corporate funding of FCC travel and conference expenses. This bill mirrors the language introduced by Senator McCain in the Senate’s FCC reauthorization bill (S 1264). However, it is significant in House politics, because it does not have to go through the Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Billy Tauzin, an ardent opponent of any kind of FCC reform. Watson’s bill will have the option of coming before the Government Reform Committee, much friendlier waters for reformers.
July 16th
The House Appropriations Committee voted 40-25 in favor of Rep. David Obey's amendment to the massive appropriations bill that would prohibit funding for the implementation of one or more of the FCC’s new ownership regulations. Reportedly 100 general managers from network broadcasting affiliates were in town to petition both Democrats and Republicans to support the Obey Amendment despite opposition from Majority Leader Tom Delay, Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young and the White House. The amendment would prohibit funding to any license granted to a broadcaster for a station that would push its holdings in excess of the 35% limit of national households. While the Obey Amendment does not address other FCC issues such as cross ownership (a single company owning both a radio, tv station or a newspaper in the same market) it was still an unexpected victory in which 11 Republicans joined 29 Democrats.
The CJS appropriations bill will now come before the full House for a vote with Mr. Obey’s amendment attached. Other amendments addressing the other FCC rules can be expected on the floor. Addressing this eventuality, the Republican leadership has made it clear that the President may veto any appropriations bill with any FCC limitation amendments. They may attempt to pry the amendment out of the bill or hold the entire CJS bill back from the floor until after the August recess to distance the issue from the swell of public support it currently enjoys, so it is extremely important to keep the pressure on your representatives! If and when the bill comes for a vote and passes out of the House with the Obey amendment, it would then go into conference with the Senate CJS bill, which has not yet come before the appropriations subcommittee. (It is not yet scheduled and likely will occur after the August recess.)