FCC Nominee Assures Senators He Won’t Support Fairness Doctrine

Julius Genachowski, President Obama’s nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), assured Senators yesterday that he had no interest in reinstating the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.”

(h/t – POLITICO44)

Senate Passes DeMint Fairness Doctrine Amendment to D.C. Voting Rights Bill

Senators have adopted an amendment offered by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act (S. 160) by a vote of 87 to 11.

This amendment would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating any aspect of the Fairness Doctrine.

Senate Adopts Durbin FCC Diversity Amendment to D.C. Voting Rights Bill

Senators have adopted an amendment offered by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act (S. 160) by a vote of 57 to 41.

The amendment would direct that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “shall take action to encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership.”  Republicans argue that this broad language could pave the way for aspects of the Fairness Doctrine to be implemented at some point.

Democrats argue that the amendment makes no mention of the Fairness Doctrine at all and that it would simply make sure that those entities holding a broadcast license (TV, radio, etc.) promote views that are in the “public interest.”

As you can see, a lot of the language is likely open to interpretation by the reader.

Through a spokesperson earlier this month, President Obama indicated that he did not support a return of the doctrine.

Fairness Doctrine Fight

Senators are continuing their work today on the D.C. House Voting Rights Act (S. 160) which would give a voting member of Congress in the House of Representatives to Washington D.C. and add another House member for the state of Utah.  Sounds like a good time to talk about the Fairness Doctrine, right?

What is the Fairness Doctrine?  Wikipedia defines it as a “a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was (in the Commission’s view) honest, equitable and balanced.”  It was abolished in 1987.

So now we finally have a showdown over the issue in the Senate today.  Republicans, by way of Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), will have a vote on their amendment.  Democrats, by way of Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), will have a vote on their version.

DeMint’s bill would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.  Durbin’s amendment says that the FCC “shall take action to encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership.”  According to Senator Durbin, there is no mention of the Fairness Doctrine in his amendment.

Let the partisan sniping begin!

Update: Both amendments were adopted. DeMint’s here, Durbin’s here.

As Congress Returns, Democrats to Focus on Economy

President Obama and Democratic leaders “will promote new measures to strengthen the economy when lawmakers return this week for the year’s longest work period,” Congressional Quarterly reports.  On the agenda in the coming weeks is a massive omnibus spending package and a war supplemental bill.

After a frenetic six weeks focused on the economic stimulus package (PL 111-5), Democrats expect to spend the period between the Presidents Day and April breaks making more modest moves on other parts of Obama’s agenda, such as health care and energy.

The president will offer a survey of his priorities in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Senior Democrats predict a near-term emphasis on a second wave of fast-moving measures aimed at pumping cash and incentives into the sagging economy. That starts this week in the House with a $410 billion fiscal 2009 omnibus spending measure, and it continues in coming weeks with a war supplemental measure of more than $50 billion.

Other items which will likely be addressed during this work period:

The coming work period will allow little breathing room for lawmakers as Democrats seek to advance measures to make it easier for bankruptcy judges to reduce mortgage payments (HR 200), to offer renewable-energy incentives, to empower the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco, and to provide more infrastructure-related spending in the highway reauthorization and in fiscal 2010 appropriations bills.

Meanwhile, the article notes that Republicans “hope to rally opposition to major new spending initiatives and new mandates for health care coverage, renewable-energy development and a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions.”

But first thing’s first in the Senate, with votes set to begin tomorrow on the D.C. Voting Rights Act.  That bill would expand the House of Representatives by two seats, giving full voting rights to Washington D.C. and adding a seat for the state of Utah which narrowly missed an addition during the last census.

Although the bill is expected by most to pass, Republicans plan to keep things interesting.  Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) wants to force a vote on an amendment to ban the reinstatement of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.”