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Sen. Dorgan Plans Media Ownership Bill

May 18, 2006  •  Post A Comment

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said Thursday he plans to introduce legislation to impede the ability of the Federal Communications Commission to loosen agency media ownership regulations.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has made clear that he wants to relax rules barring daily newspapers from buying broadcast stations in their markets and limit the number of radio and TV stations that can be owned in the same community. “We have to find a way … to slow them down,” Sen. Dorgan said during a Senate hearing on legislation that makes it easier for telephone companies to get into the pay TV business.

Sen. Dorgan, who has long said he believes media ownership rules are needed to curb the power of media companies, also said he planned to offer his legislation as an amendment to the telephone legislation. The telephone legislation is scheduled for a June 20 vote by the Senate Commerce Committee.