Reply #21: Telecommunications Act of 1996 and refusal to stand to re-instate [View All]

the Fairness Doctrine;


After the Reagan FCC repealed the Fairness Doctrine in '87 the US Court of Appeals upheld it. You're right, no Dem stood up for its re-instatement. And we let them collect lobbyist cash for their re-elections. Then we voted for them. Then came the damn Telecommunications Act of 1996. Clinton -and unfortunately Gore supported it.
http://www.fcc.gov/telecom.html

Instead of Telecom co's adding $2Trillion and 1.5Million jobs -it lost $2Trillion and lost 500,000 jobs. And cable rates didn't drop, they went up 50%. And the effect of the centralization of media is pretty shameful in the TV news in the subsequent 10 years.

Telecom lobbyists have spent $400Million on political contributions. A re-election windfall for R's and many D's too.

Broadcasters were nearly untouchable by the public. Their licenses are good for 8 years, not 5. And it's hard for us to put a challenge to them now.

Anyway, it eliminated competition and alternate sources of info. The supporters of it lied to us.

I refuse to forget that betrayal, and NAFTA too.