After 75 Years It’s Time For An Effective FCC…

Thursday, April, 30, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

After 75 years of mostly mediocre and ineffective Federal Communications Commissions, will we finally get a good one?  On June 19th, the agency will mark its 75th anniversary.  The independent regulatory agency was created by an act of Congress on that date and “was charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable.  The FCC’s jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions.”  That descriptive comes directly from the FCC’s home page.  It says nothing about not having the cojones to settle a case as important as the indecency issue but that’s what they did when they tossed the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court.  That business has to end unless the FCC wants to end up as ineffective as the U.N…

With Obama pick Julius Genachowski awaiting nomination as new FCC Chairman, Republican senators are indicating they want the chair paired with a Republican nominee but have yet to settle on a choice.  Senate Democrats want to fill the FCC now, so the agency can get to work on a national broadband plan, the much-delayed transition of analog to digital television and other issues.  The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the president will nominate Mignon Clyburn, a commissioner on the South Carolina Public Service Commission, for an open seat on the new FCC.  Clyburn, an African-American Democrat, would join Genachowski on the five-member FCC board, which currently has three vacancies.  The hope is that Clyburn’s nomination will put pressure on Senate Republicans to pick a nominee to fill an empty Republican seat on the FCC board…

Does anyone really care what party affiliation these people maintain, as long as they’re part of an effective regulatory body?  Experts are divided in their opinions on whether a Democratic administration will be more hostile to the interests of commercial broadcasters.  One unnamed expert says the new FCC might mirror the administration of former Chairman Reed Hundt, a Democrat.  “That FCC issued more policy initiatives and less regulatory strictures than before and focused on increasing marketplace competition and diversity in stakeholders.”  If it means making broadcasters more responsible, I’m all for that.  The time to care about broadcasting again is long overdue..

    10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1789] Father Figure: George Washington takes office as our first President of these United States. Washington is sworn in on Wall Street…1931] The George Washington Bridge, linking Manhattan to New Jersey opens…
2. 1901] Start to finish: Pitching for the Boston Americans, Cy Young beats the A’s 8-6 in Philadelphia. Since the Americans will become the the Red Sox,this is the first Sox game in history…1939] The great Lou Gehrig plays his last game. In that game, Gehrig goes 0 for 4 against the Washington Senators in a game played at Yankee Stadium…
3. 1939] That’s Fair: The New York World’s Fair, billed as a look at ‘The World of Tomorrow’ opens in Flushing Meadow…
4. 1961] Foursome: Using utility player Joey Amalfitano’s bat, Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants becomes the 9th player in history to hit 4 home runs in a game as the Giants pound Milwaukee 14-4 at Milwaukee County Stadium…
5. 1991] Death by cyclone: An estimated 125,000 perish when a cyclone hits Bangladesh…
6. 1993] Stabbed in the back: Top-ranked women’s tennis player Monica Seles is stabbed in the back during a match in Hamburg, Germany by a 38-year old Steffi Graf fan. Seles will never be the same player after the stabbing…
7. 1997] I’m coming out: ABC-TV airs the “coming out” episode of “Ellen” in which the title character played by Ellen DeGeneres admits to being a lesbian. Five days earlier she comes out herself…
8. 2001] Washington mystery: Washington intern Chandra Levy is seen for the last time at a health club near her apartment. Her remains are found more than a year later in a D.C. park. California Congressman Gary Condit was questioned in the case due to his relationship with Levy. He is not charged in her murder…
9. 2004] This case is not over yet: Former New Jersey Net star Jayson Williams is acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in the shotgun slaying of his limo driver at his New Jersey mansion. This case will be re-tried. The date is pending. This past weekend, cops tasered Williams after a reported suicide attempt by the former player…
10. 2007] ‘Happy Trails’: Comedian Tom Poston passes away after a brief illness. Poston was 85…2007] Former original member of the Platters, Zola Taylor, 69, dies from pneumonia following a series of strokes. Taylor was once married to Frankie Lyman…






Music Memories:

• 1957] Recorded on this date: “Jailhouse Rock” - Elvis Presley…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”: Kirsten Dunst (27), Akon (36), Isiah Thomas (48), Jill Clayburgh (65), Bobby Vee (66), Johnny (Santo & Johnny) Farina (68), Burt Young (69), Willie Nelson (76) and Cloris Leachman (83)…

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until the Kentucky Derby, 10 days until Mother’s Day and 25 days until Memorial Day…

Posted in Today's Post | No Comments »