The US has had powerful restrictions on media outlets — newspapers and television stations — for several decades. Though they have been tweaked and made a bit less restrictive over the years, they have continued ensure that single media companies, or a small number of mega-companies, cannot take over the nation’s broadcasting and print journalism.
Ajit Pai thinks that’s silly, and is single-handedly, as head of the FCC, dismantling those protections. Because what could go wrong with a single company owning multiple news stations in a particular market, or companies distributing broadcast local news from a centralized out-of-state source, or companies owning newspapers everywhere? How could that possibly impact the quality and diversity of the information that American need now more than ever?
Fiddlesticks. says Commissioner Pai. Business efficiency and hamstringing the government against restricting oligarchies are clearly far more important causes than that.
Ajit Pai submits plan to allow more media consolidation
Rules that preserve media diversity in local markets will be eliminated.
And if a democracy can't show that actions like these, plus those of the EPA, the 'president's' EOs etc. are not in the best interest of the people and do something swift about it, then your democracy is broken beyond repair.
It's always nice to see that conservatives are always willing to keep repeating the same mistakes hoping that they will somehow work out. The rule changes in the mid nineties worked out horribly, so let's do even more, that'll fix it.
+Stan Pedzick Ah, but worked out horribly for whom? Cui bono?
+Dave Hill it worked out horribly for the consumers, and the recording industry. But yeah, it worked out really well for Clear Channel.
+Stan Pedzick Exactly.