Sa pamumuno mula sa dating Federal Communications Commissioner na si Michael Copps, ang Common Cause ay nag-anunsyo ng mga plano ngayon para sa isang pambansang Media and Democracy Reform Initiative na naglalayong bigyang pansin at kontrahin ang lumalagong kapangyarihang pampulitika at pang-ekonomiya ng industriya ng komunikasyon.<\/p>
\"Today's information technologies have tremendous potential to give Americans access to information, connect us to the rest of the world, and strengthen our democracy,\" said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. \"We can't afford to let increasingly powerful and concentrated telecom and media interests use their muscle to control that future.\"<\/p>
\"Working in Washington and through our network of state chapters, Common Cause's initiative aims to restore and expand diversity, open access, transparency and public control in both traditional and new media,\" Edgar added. \"And in Michael Copps, we've found the perfect person to guide it.\" <\/p>
Sinabi ni Edgar na ang mga mapagbigay na regalo mula sa ilang mga pundasyon ay magbibigay ng paunang suportang pinansyal para sa inisyatiba. Ito rin ay lubos na kukuha ng kadalubhasaan at adbokasiya ng Copps, na sa loob ng isang dekada (2001-11) bilang Miyembro ng FCC ay lumitaw bilang isang tahasang kampeon para sa papel ng gobyerno sa pagtiyak na ang tradisyonal na media, internet at iba pang mga digital system maglingkod sa malawak na interes ng publiko.<\/p>
Locating in Washington, DC in 1970, Copps served for more than a dozen years as chief-of-staff for U.S. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-SC, and as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development in the Clinton administration before joining the FCC. He was the seventh longest-serving commissioner in the agency's history. (Click here for a biography of Michael Copps.)<\/p>
Copps joined Common Cause's National Governing Board earlier this year and will temporarily relinquish that position to oversee the Media Democracy and Reform Initiative. \"A number of other groups already are doing great work in this area,\" Copps said. \"We are determined to bolster their efforts, using our national membership, organizing, and campaign experience, and our 35 state chapters to focus attention on, and build public support for, media reform. Without media that dig for facts, report real news, and reflect the diversity of our nation, self-government cannot endure.\"<\/p>
Sa iba pang mga bagay, tutugunan ng Media and Democracy Reform Initiative ang mga isyung nilikha ng mga pagsasanib ng industriya at pagsasama-sama ng kontrol sa loob ng mga rehiyon at sa mga platform ng media; ang pagtanggal ng lokal na kontrol sa cable at munisipal na broadband; carte blanche broadcast licensing nang walang pagsasaalang-alang sa mga obligasyon ayon sa batas na pagsilbihan ang pampublikong interes; mga hamon sa mga prinsipyo ng ubiquitous broadband deployment at isang bukas na Internet; at mga pag-atake sa pagpopondo para sa pampublikong pagsasahimpapawid. <\/p>
With its longtime focus on the role of money in politics, Edgar said Common Cause is particularly concerned with the drowning out of voters' diverse political voices by massive political spending by the few. \"We see this initiative as a natural complement to our other efforts to counter the impact of big money on our politics and our elections and to ensure that ours is a government 'of, by and for the people,'\" Edgar said.<\/p>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\n