Barack Obama’s transition team has tapped former FCC Commissioner Henry Rivera, a longtime proponent of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," to head the team looking for the man or woman who will soon give Democrats a 3-to-2 advantage on the Federal Communications Commission.
It’s another troubling sign that Democrats are serious about trying to reinstate the long-defunct FCC regulation, which can more aptly be described as the "Censorship Doctrine" because of its chilling effect on free speech. In effect from 1949 to 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was an obstacle to open discussion of public policy issues on the radio; its removal in the Reagan years spawned the robust talk radio marketplace of ideas now enjoyed by millions.
While talk radio hosts often warned during the campaign that free speech could be trampled by an all-Democratic majority, the broadcast networks have failed to react to this dangerous threat to the First Amendment. A review shows the broadcast networks — whose affiliates could also be regulated — have failed to run even a single story mentioning the push for a new Fairness Doctrine.
It’s another troubling sign that Democrats are serious about trying to reinstate the long-defunct FCC regulation, which can more aptly be described as the "Censorship Doctrine" because of its chilling effect on free speech. In effect from 1949 to 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was an obstacle to open discussion of public policy issues on the radio; its removal in the Reagan years spawned the robust talk radio marketplace of ideas now enjoyed by millions.
While talk radio hosts often warned during the campaign that free speech could be trampled by an all-Democratic majority, the broadcast networks have failed to react to this dangerous threat to the First Amendment. A review shows the broadcast networks — whose affiliates could also be regulated — have failed to run even a single story mentioning the push for a new Fairness Doctrine.
By Rich Noyes of Newsbusters:
The funny part about the "Fairness Doctrine" is that it will ONLY affect the speech of those who disagree with the Democrats/Liberals ... commercially viable talk radio.
It won't affect liberal talk radio because they don't get enough ratings to support their "shows" so the government has to subsidize them. In other words, they won't lose their sponsors. Conservative talk radio will lose their sponsors as well as the support of the radio station's owners because it's too much trouble to do a radio show with a million knuckleheads demanding equal time.
Somehow, the "equal time/space" requirement won't apply to newspapers or television. Funny, huh?
Shut 'em down, dipshitocrats -- ensure the voices of your opposition are squelched. That's exactly what Hugo Chavez did in Venezuela and it's exactly what all the communists do with the media.
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Oh, who cares? Who listens to free radio anyway? People who listen to the radio are listening to XM/Sirius anyway and the FCC doesn't control them because they're subscription services.
Of course, what makes anyone think they'll stop at radio...
I can't wait until the Libs try to push this one thru.
Rush, Hannity, Clear Channel, etc are chomping at the bit to have their day in court over this.
Not only will the pesky "Freedom of Speech" thing have it's day in court, there is no way to pay for this fiasco.
If an Obama Administration chooses the Fairness Doctrine as one of its first jobs, while the US economy is melting down, don't think that there won't be hell to pay.
Let the Libs go after Rush, et al.
It will just make it that much easier to win back D.C. in 2012. Obama=Carter.
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