House Appropriations Bill Targets Cross-Ownership Change
House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Bill Would Disallow Funding for Federal Communications Commission's Attempt to Loosen Ban on Broadcast-Newspaper Cross-Ownership
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/18/2008 6:04:00 AM
The Federal Communications Commission's attempt to loosen the ban on broadcast-newspaper cross-ownership took another hit on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
The House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee approved an appropriations bill that includes a provision that would disallow funding for the FCC rule change.
That provision was attached to a broader appropriations bill that funds the FCC, Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory agencies. The bill passed on voice vote and is scheduled for full committee markup sometime next week.
Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee, said of the prohibition, which he backed and made part of the original bill: "I believe the loosening of media-consolidation rules is detrimental to the goals of diversity in ownership and viewpoints, as well as to localism and independence in the news media."
The Senate already passed a provision that would moot that move to block the funding by nullifying the FCC's rule entirely. The House has not yet voted to do the same, but the funding gambit, if it survives, would achieve the same end.
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