There is no "compelling reason to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine," the head of the Federal Communications Commission said in a letter to lawmakers this week.
Chairman Kevin J. Martin, responding to a letter from several House Republicans on the modern-day appropriateness of the rule, assured them that the media regulator has no intention of bringing back the doctrine, which required broadcasters to present contrasting points of view on issues of public importance.
"In my judgment, the events of the last two decades have confirmed the wisdom of the commission's decision to abolish the Fairness Doctrine," wrote Mr. Martin, a Republican, in a letter dated Monday and released yesterday.
"Discussion of controversial issues over the airwaves has flourished absent regulatory constraints, and the public now enjoys access to an ever-expanding range of views and opinions. Indeed, with the continued proliferation of additional sources of information and programming, including satellite broadcasting and the Internet, the need for the Fairness Doctrine has lessened ever further since 1987."
Good news, but we still need to get something passed so this doesn't make a comeback later. I'd rather go a step further and stop cotent regulation altogether and have the FCC go back to only making sure stations do not interfere with one another.
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