Barbara Boxer: “I rise to support the Senate resolution to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's, FCC, decision to relax our…”

“I rise to support the Senate resolution to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's, FCC, decision to relax our Nation's media concentration rules. That decision threatens our democracy by placing more power over what we see and hear in the hands of fewer big interests. The voices of those who oppose the FCC decision range from Bill Clinton to Bill Safire, from the National Rifle Association to the National Organization for Women. I am particularly disappointed with the manner in which the agency has ignored these voices. The FCC held only one public hearing on these rules. But commissioners and their staff met with just one firm lobbying on behalf of big media more than 30 times. The agency received more than 700,000 letters opposing the relaxation of the rules and only a handful supporting that decision but failed to take that overwhelming public sentiment into consideration. I reject the FCC rule because the FCC ignored the people's concerns. Congress must send the agency a clear bipartisan message--the airwaves belong to the American people, not to you and not to a small group of media elites. The FCC must be forced to address the concerns of the American people. The people know that the FCC decision to relax our media ownership threatens democratic discourse and participation. It will allow massive media giants to grow--media giants that already use multiple media outlets to promote their views and overwhelmingly dominate public debate.”