Ensign Raises Red Flag on Localism Proposal

Republican Senator from Nevada: 'Government Mandates' Not the Way to Achieve 'Laudable' Goal of Increasing Local Programming

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/1/2008 8:21:00 PM

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) was the latest to weigh in on the Federal Communications Commission's proposed localism rules.

He wrote FCC charman Kevin Martin in a letter dated April 30 that "government mandates" were not the way to achieve the "laudable"goal of increasing local programming and making sure broadcasters are responsive to their communities.

The FCC wants broadcasters to boost their reporting of local programming and take other steps, including possibly requiring them to staff stations 24/7, to locate their studios in the market in which they are licensed and to consult with local advisory boards on what local programming to air.

Ensign said the market pressure of programming to the needs of their audience will do more to ensure that they are meeting those needs "than reregulating the industry ever will."

Ensign joined a couple of dozen other senators who recently expressed their concerns about the localism proposals.

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

Post a comment

» View All Talkback Threads

Related Content

• Topics
• Author

Beyond Media Ownership, FCC Passes Package of Items

12/18/2007

Chamber of Commerce Calls Localism Proposals 'Harmful'

06/11/2008

FCC's telephone-dereg rules finally unveiled

08/22/2003

Broadcasters File Comments vs. FCC’s Localism Proposals

04/28/2008

FCC Extends Comment Deadlines on Localism Proposals

03/06/2008

Also by this author

• Developing: San Fran Board Slated To Vote On Resolution Backing Network Neutrality

• McDowell 'Very Troubled' By Social Security Number Collection

• Genachowski Says American Troops Need High-Speed Broadband

• House Committee Holding Hearing on Arbitron PPM

• FCC Wants Input On Measuring Fixed Residential, Small Business Broadband

Also by John Eggerton

Product Wire

• Resource Center
• Browse Categories
• Browse Companies

Featured Company

• TrylonSMR

  

  At Trylon SMR, we are dedicated Public Relations professionals solely serving clients in the media, technology, telecommunications, and related industries. We understand the specialized types of audiences our clients need to reach and the best... more

• Akamai

  

  Akamai provides market-leading managed services for powering rich media, dynamic transactions, and enterprise applications online. Having pioneered the content delivery market one decade ago, Akamai's services have been adopted by the world's most... more

• Parks Associates

  

  Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from... more

• Digital Rapids

  

  Digital Rapids is the leading provider of professional hardware and software tools, technology and expertise for bringing video to wider audiences and new viewing platforms. Continuing to set new standards in quality, productivity and versatility... more

• JVC

  

  JVC U.S.A. is a division of JVC Americas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Victor Company of Japan, Limited. JVC is a leading developer and manufacturer of sophisticated audio and video products that use superior technologies to deliver high... more

---

Most Recent Resources

• Robust Encoding, Transcoding and Streaming Systems – Critical...
• Simultaneous Multi-Format Encoding for Efficient Content Repurposing
• Broadband Services: The Turning Point
• Digital Lifestyles and the Service Provider
• IPTV and the Digital Home