POWELL ON TV TO EXPLAIN FCC'S MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES
FCC Chmn. Powell appeared on 2 news talk shows in just over 12 hours Tues. and Wed. to explain the FCC’s controversial media ownership rules, and clearly struggled with the fact that his role has become increasingly politicized.
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Powell was on Fox News Channel’s Hannity & Colmes Tues. night, and C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Wed. morning. His stated purpose was to explain the FCC’s decision, which would increase potential audience reach by one group’s TV stations to 45% from 35%. Powell spent a lot of time explaining that the FCC isn’t a political institution, but rather a expert independent agency. “We're sometimes, as in this case, 2nd- guessed by political entities, but we're really not equipped to be out lobbying, et cetera,” Powell said Wed. He noted that he has only “a handful” of legislative and press advisors, and that if the agency is going to take on lobbying responsibilities, Congress and the Administration would have to redefine the FCC’s role and provide more resources. “We'd probably have to get more sophisticated,” he said.
One Washington Journal caller criticized Congress for stepping into technical issues, citing examples of technology-related legislative mandates that he claimed are or will be counterproductive, specifically V-chip and DTV tuner mandates.
Powell said certain institutions are better suited to deal with technical issues than others, acknowledging that Congress still is the ultimate legislative body. “In some ways, an administrative agency is a unique animal,” Powell explained: “I do think one of the reasons we create such organizations is because we want them to take a hard, sober look at certain issues. Television is in a sort of fast moving technological revolution. Some institutions are better suited to that kind of change.” But “Congress is certainly entitled to legislate ownership rules,” he said.
Simply appearing on the shows proved Powell has been drawn into the increasingly politicized debate, a point Powell’s chief of staff, Brian Tramont, acknowledged Wed. “He believed and we believed that his voice is important to this debate,” Tramont said. “The chairman’s goal is to educate the public about the commission’s actions. We obviously acknowledge that this issue has become politicized, and we acknowledged that this public education role is now a part of a much larger political debate.” -- J.L. Laws