Commissioner urges vigilance, 'hold big media accountable'

National Catholic Reporter, Nov 7, 2003 by Dennis Coday

ST. LOUIS--Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat who serves on the Federal Communications Commission, urged Catholic media professionals to hold what he called "big media" accountable for lack of diversity on the airwaves. "Catholics around this country need to be participating in the resolution of the great communications issues before the Congress and before the FCC," said Copps, a Catholic. He cited localism, concentration of media ownership, diversity and indecency as being among those issues.

"Now is not the time to slow down. Big media isn't," Copps told the Catholic Academy of Communication Arts Professionals meeting in St. Louis Oct. 15. He said, "This is the best chance this country will have for years to do something about concentration and to make sure the public's airwaves serve the public interest."

"I take [public interest] seriously because the term 'public interest' occurs some 112 times in the Telecommunications Act," he said.

Copps was in the minority when the FCC voted in June to permit greater media concentration. However, the House and the Senate have passed separate bills that could scuttle the FCC's media deregulation plans.