Bob Kerrey: “I share Senator Hollings' concern that the provisions in the reconciliation bill on the duopoly and newspaper-TV cross…”

“I share Senator Hollings' concern that the provisions in the reconciliation bill on the duopoly and newspaper-TV cross ownership rules which affect television broadcast license ownership violate the Byrd rule. The duopoly rule limits the number of television stations a single person can own in a market and the newspaper/broadcast cross ownership rule makes it difficult for newspapers to own a television station in the same market where it publishes a paper to assure that there is not a monopoly on information. The conference provisions violate the Byrd rule because they make substantive changes in policy which have no budgetary effect. At a time when the Congress and the American people are concerned about the growing concentration in the broadcast industry, this is not the time or place to consider these changes. The Congress ordered the Federal Communications Commission to review the duopoly rule in 1996. The budget agreement should not pre-empt that review. I join my colleagues in observing that a point of order would lie on the broadcast provisions of this bill.”