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Statement of Senator Barack Obama on the Commerce Committee's Vote to Reverse the FCC's Media Consolidation Rules

Thursday, April 24, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michael Ortiz, 202 228 5566

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved a measure introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan to reverse the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) ruling to expand media consolidation. Senator Obama is a co-sponsor of this legislation.

Last December, Obama joined Senator John Kerry to call on FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin to postpone the vote to modify existing ownership rules. He also joined a bipartisan coalition of senators vowing to nullify the FCC's vote through legislative prerogatives if the Commission moved forward with the vote. In October, Obama called on Martin to launch an independent review panel to develop proposals to further promote media ownership diversity.

The text of the statement is below:

"We must ensure that we have an open media market that represents diverse voices throughout the country. The rules promoting the public interest and diversity in media ownership are too important for the FCC to accept an agenda supported by the Washington special interests that I have fought against for more than a year."

"I commend Chairman Inouye and Senator Dorgan for fully taking into account the interests of all our minority communities by demanding a transparent and inclusive rule change process. I urge my colleagues to expeditiously move this bill to the Senate floor."