FCC Commissioners In South Carolina
“Satellite, strung from the moon. And the world your balloon, peeping tom for the mother station.”
Federal Communications Commissioners Michael J. Copps and Mignon Clyburn will be in the Palmetto Lowcountry on Tuesday, attending public events at a local technical school and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)’s new Ashley River Hospital.
While the focus of Copps and Clyburn’s two public appearances are broadband technology and “telemedicine,” respectively, sources tell FITS that their Lowcountry swing (which reportedly has a special interest component, as well) has attracted the attention of the local “Tea Party” crowd.
Good.
As for us, we’re looking forward to getting Copps and Clyburn’s thoughts on FCC “Diversity Czar” Mark Lloyd, who as FITS readers are familiar has been advocating for a return to the “Fairness Doctrine,” a form of media censorship. Additionally, Lloyd has said that talk radio and new media (i.e. blogs, social networking sites) ought to have their content regulated by the government.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Lloyd is also known for his effusive praise of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Clyburn, in particular, should have an opinion on Lloyd seeing as she’s a former newspaper woman.
Anyway, we’re dispatching a crew to the event and hopefully we’ll be able to bring you back some footage.
After all, both Copps (who worked for U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings) and Clyburn (daughter of U.S. Majority Whip Jim Clyburn) ought to be able to say whether or not they agree with these radical policies.
Comments
By Laura Campbell on October 5th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
If the above is fact (I’m going to begin my posts with that statement from now on) why not institute book burning and book banning and all respective monitoring and editing and such?
Perhaps if they do, the extreme right-wing nuts will be rid of Harry Potter and the left-wing nuts will be rid of Huckleberry Finn.
By scarlettohell on October 6th, 2009 at 7:06 am
SATILLITE, strung from the MOON. And the world your balloon, PEEPING tom for the mother station.”
Emphasis added for the lunatics. There really is a VAST RIGHT WING and it’s no conspiracy.
By Laurin on October 6th, 2009 at 7:19 am
Laura, good thing the above is anything but fact. Rather, the attack on Mark Lloyd is straight from Glenn Beck’s talking points and isn’t merit-based in the least.
Conservative pundits are foaming at the mouth because of a report that Lloyd co-authored at the Center for American Progress about the rise of conservative talk radio. The report explores why an estimated 90% of talk radio today is comprised of conservative political talk shows. The report considers — among other factors — the impact of the FCC’s decision to quit enforcing the Fairness Doctrine. (It was never actually “repealed” by regulatory process.) Primarily, though, the report focuses on the impact of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which drastically changed media ownership rules and allowed big companies to gobble up local ones — so-called “Clear Channelization.”
Nowhere in the report does Lloyd or any of the other co-authors advocate for re-instating the Fairness Doctrine.
Lloyd, who has had a distinguished career in communications law and policy, is “working to expand media opportunities for women, people of color, small businesses, and those living in rural areas.” (I lifted that language from the fact-check below.)
You can read the report that Lloyd co-authored right here: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/06/pdf/talk_radio.pdf.
You can read an extended fact-check about this right-wing smear here: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/22/mark-lloyd/
By fitsnews on October 6th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Laurin,
You’re a brilliant writer, but sometimes your “pro-bama” furor gets the best of you. This guy Lloyd – and frankly the whole “Free Press” crowd over at the FCC – are nothing but mini-Goebbelses. And you, of all people, should know that.
Like Mignon Clyburn, I would have thought with your “journalistic” background that the notion of a truly free press – not some Big Brother-approved government infomercial would appeal to you.
For example, how would a government-driven press have suited you under the former administration? Right …
Why are 90% of radio shows conservative? I don’t know. Why are 90% of TV networks liberal? That’s just what the marketplace of ideas has produced right now.
Here’s the rub, though, you look at that and see a problem for government to correct … I look at that and see my country working just the way it’s supposed to.
After all, endorsing a corrective action means you subscribe to this ridiculous notion that we should all just lobotomize ourselves and absorb a bunch of middling reports that take no positions and simply regurgitate two sides of a story – with one of them always being the government’s side.
That is not a free press, Laurin … that is a slow, inexorable crawl to government-induced brainlessness.
You know as well as I do there are always more than two sides to a story – and I find it hard to believe that during your Internet heyday you would have ever submitted to government forcing you to provide “fair and balanced” coverage. Particularly seeing as your heyday was 2002-05 – prior to the election of your Messiah. In fact, I seem to recall a lot of pro-educrat spin on your site during that time and not a lot of commentary from the parental perspective … like I seem to recall a lot of support for new government programs and not a lot of perspective on why they might not be such a good idea. Finally, I seem to recall many endorsements of left-leaning candidates on your site as you trashed the right-leaning candidates.
For you to come back now and claim you would submit to regulation I find laughable.
Lloyd and the rest of the “Free Press” crowd at the FCC are dangerous, and those who don’t realize it will likely be the first ones to get the duct tape slapped over their mouths.
Frankly, I really hate to see your turn to the dark side having such an effect on you … it certainly has had an effect on your view of the First Amendment.
Oh, and as for your contention that the revocation of the fairness doctrine has been some sort of tragedy, consider the fact that while it was in effect, dozens of papers, radio shows and TV programs simply stopped covering politics because they didn’t want to risk being subjected to government fines. The truth is the Fairness doctrine stifled the free flow of ideas that is central to this democracy (if that’s what you call what we have today), and no amount of “pro-bama” spin can change that.
Finally, I reiterate my offer to you to debate these points – anytime, anyplace.
-Sic
By Martha Washington on October 18th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
This isnt about giving free broadband and laptops to “PROJECT residents”. This is about the big brother network controling ALL internet users and their information. The rural “end-users” or “end of the line” customers are getting internet JUST FINE without the FCC and USDA intruding into their lives. The government has been buying up TELEPHONE BANKS and shares oin small companies to prevent individuals and communities from owning their servers and communications.