========================= AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FCC ========================= When the FCC struck down the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, ordinary Americans were, at a stroke, denied free access to broadcast media. We became, not valued actors and participants in the public debate, but consumers of one-sided, business-oriented sound bites which spoke only to the concerns of a tiny minority. When the FCC then lifted restrictions which prohibited ownership of both print and electronic media in a single market, giant corporations swooped in and purchased virtually all of those media outlets. Today, most of our print and broadcast media fall under the control of just six corporations. What was once cacophony of divergent ideas and perspectives, quickly devolved into the mind numbing, semi-informative, self-promotion of six profit driven entities, the aims and goals of which are virtually indistinguishable, one from another. This is not an outcome that would have pleased the framers of the Constitution. Indeed, though it is yet to be tested, I am convinced that the Constitution forbids it. Today, far from recognizing the danger already posed by privately held power over public discourse, the FCC is proposing to allow these same media giants to regulate and sell fast and slow internet access, thereby limiting, yet again, the free exchange of ideas and information, both among the citizenry and between the citizenry and their government. In simpler times, citizens could gather in public meeting places to discuss concerns of mutual interest. In recent years, the demands on peoples time in a fast changing society have all but eliminated this practice. Today, the peoples meeting place is the internet. Social media has supplanted the town hall and smart phones, tablets and laptops have taken the place of flyers and leaflets. Seen in this light, this proposed action by the FCC is doubly damaging to our freedoms. It allows a private entity the means of suppressing dissenting opinions and, by eliminating those avenues of dissent, effectively puts an end to online freedom of assembly. Free assembly, after all, is made a mockery of if, once assembled, all viewpoints are not represented. These are serious incursions into rights and freedoms that Americans hold sacred. If you take this grievous step, if you bring this issue to a vote and it passes, know that you will have effectively put an end to the last bastion of free speech. Consider: We are not allowed to freely air our grievances on radio or TV. Newspapers and magazines are largely owned by those who are, at best, indifferent to our concerns and hostile to them at worst. Finally, when we gather in the streets to protest, we are gassed and beaten. Without a means of free and open expression, not only is democracy in danger, society itself, even civilization is in danger. Think, ladies and gentlemen. Think about your places in history. Think about the noble aspirations and ideas over which you are preparing to tread. Like the moment in time when Rome traded its republic for autocracy, this time in history will be remembered. You will be remembered, and how you and it will be remembered is in your hands. So I beg you, once again ladies and gentlemen, think about the enormous gravity of the thing you are considering. Please, in the name of everything and everyone you hold dear, think.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 04:07:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015