So We the People are caught in a trap. Elected officials spend 75% of their time doing what? Fundraising. Which means they are not spending their time doing the jobs we sent them to Washington to do. Billions of dollars are being poured into candidates coffers and you can bet special interest strings are attached. And then this is the kicker - most voters have no clue that televised ads can outright lie to voters . (Yes, most people think that truth in advertising laws apply to political ads; they do not.)
Really, considering that broadcasters are only licensed if they serve the Public Interest, shouldn't the public be served somewhere in this equation? Can't the FCC, as a condition of stations' licenses, require free airtime for debate or access to the publicly owned airwaves?
The answer is yes. But as in every case of the public interest v the corporate line, it's an uphill battle.
McGeeHee said in an interview Wednesday that "an aggressive FCC, if it properly interprets public interest obligations, has enormous amounts of power to make broadcasts responsive to the political system." But any FCC action would likely be challenged in court, and "the Roberts' Supreme Court, given Citizens United, will likely not look kindly at that. Broadcasters will argue that this would essentially be the government controlling speech."
Well, who is controlling speech now? Giant corporations who are in bed with broadcasters who, rather than serving the public interest, think they have a license to print money. According to a 2002 FCC study, TV broadcasters are earning as much as 46 percent profits. Although they argue otherwise, they can provide real public service at election time and keep shareholders happy also.
Isn't it time the controlling agency, the FCC, defines and enforces the public interest obligations the broadcasters are mandated to follow? Isn't it time for the public to get real free speech over their own airwaves?
And wouldn't Free Airtime essentially negate Citizens United?
President Obama, it's your FCC. Make it work.
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