Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama criticized the FCC for its pro-corporate position of “consolidation over diversity” and called for a tightening of government regulation of broadcasters.
“I believe the FCC media-ownership rules remain necessary and are critical to the public interest,” Obama said in a statement released to news organizations. “We should be doing more to encourage diversity in ownership in broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets and the expression of diverse viewpoints.”
Obama called for “greater clarity” of broadcasters’ public-interest obligations. The Illinois senator said he supported new rules “promoting greater coverage of local issues and greater responsiveness of broadcasters to the communities they operate in.”
He also urged greater FCC scrutiny of broadcast station license renewals and more public input into the process.
