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FCC invites comment on “Future of Media”

Posted by Steve Safran on January 21, 2010

The FCC today released a public notice (PDF) seeking comments on its “Future of Media” project. The goal of the project is to look at all whether there is fair access to new media. The FCC will then make recommendations based upon its findings. Not the sexiest topic, I understand, but a very important one – especially for local media. There is some hopeful language in here for those who don’t want the FCC to start imposing rules on the Web:

Any time the government reviews the structure of the news media, it must do so with great sensitivity to the paramount need to protect free speech and an independent press. Moreover, the Future of Media project starts with the assumption that many of the challenges encountered in today’s media environment will be addressed by the private for-profit and non-profit sectors, without government intervention.

There are 42 questions the FCC is interested in having the public answer. Among them:

For local commercial broadcast television and radio stations, what have been the trends for staffing, the amount of local news and information aired, the audience ratings for such programming and local station profitability?

In general, what categories of journalism are most in jeopardy in the digital era?

How can we measure the importance of the availability of local news and information for community health and consumers’ needs?

Does the efficiency and specialization of the Internet make it less likely to support the cross-subsidies that existed for many decades within newspapers?

Now is the time to let the FCC know what’s happening in our industry. You can give your answers at www.fcc.gov/futureofmedia. We recommend voicing your opinions, observations and concerns.