“Whenever the people are well-informed,

2. “Whenever the people are well-informed,

3. “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government…”

4. “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government…” ---Thomas Jefferson, 1789

5. Summit County Progressive Democrats Reinstating the Fairness Doctrine

6. Summit County Progressive Democrats History The Radio Act of 1927:

7. Summit County Progressive Democrats History The Radio Act of 1927: • created the FCC’s forerunner, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC),

8. Summit County Progressive Democrats History The Radio Act of 1927: • created the FCC’s forerunner, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), • ensured that licensees served the “public convenience, interest or necessity.”

9. Summit County Progressive Democrats History The FRC first gave words to the Fairness Doctrine,

10. Summit County Progressive Democrats History The FRC first gave words to the Fairness Doctrine, calling for broadcasters to show “due regard for the opinions of others.”

11. Summit County Progressive Democrats History In 1949, the FCC adopted the doctrine as a formal rule.

12. Summit County Progressive Democrats History In 1959 Congress amended the Communications Act of 1934 to enshrine the Fairness Doctrine into law, adding the words:

13. Summit County Progressive Democrats History In 1959 Congress amended the Communications Act of 1934 to enshrine the Fairness Doctrine into law, adding the words:“A broadcast licensee shall afford reasonable opportunity for discussion of conflicting views on matters of public importance.”

14. Summit County Progressive Democrats History In 1969, the United States Supreme Court upheld the doctrine’s constitutionality,

15. Summit County Progressive Democrats History In 1969, the United States Supreme Court upheld the doctrine’s constitutionality, calling it “the single most important requirement of operation in the public interest—the sine qua non for grant of a renewal of license”

16. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements:

17. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: • It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and,

18. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: • It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and, • to air contrasting views regarding those matters.

19. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine did not :

20. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine did not : • require each program be internally balanced,

21. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine did not : • require each program be internally balanced, • mandate equal time for opposing points of view,

22. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine did not : • require each program be internally balanced, • mandate equal time for opposing points of view, • require that the balance of a station’s program lineup to be 50/50.

23. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked The Fairness Doctrine

24. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked Supported by grassroots groups across the political spectrum,

25. Summit County Progressive Democrats How it Worked Supported by grassroots groups across the political spectrum, including: • the ACLU, • National Rifle Association • Accuracy In Media.

26. Summit County Progressive Democrats How We Lost It Ronald Reagan’s new FCC chair, Mark S. Fowler:

27. Summit County Progressive Democrats How We Lost It Ronald Reagan’s new FCC chair, Mark S. Fowler: “The perception of broadcasters as community trustees should be replaced by a view of broadcasters as marketplace participants.”

28. Summit County Progressive Democrats How We Lost It Ronald Reagan’s new FCC chair, Mark S. Fowler: The doctrine violated broadcasters’ First Amendment free speech rights by giving government a measure of editorial control over stations.

29. Summit County Progressive Democrats How We Lost It A 1986 legal decision by Judge Robert Bork and Judge Antonin Scalia, provided grounds for repeal.

30. Summit County Progressive Democrats How We Lost It Wrote Bork: “We do not believe that language adopted in 1959 made the Fairness Doctrine a binding statutory obligation…”

31. Summit County Progressive Democrats How We Lost It Wrote Bork: “We do not believe that language adopted in 1959 made the Fairness Doctrine a binding statutory obligation…” Bork held that keeping the rule or scuttling it was simply a matter of FCC discretion.

32. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back A growing trend that sees movement conservatives and Republican partisans using the publicly owned airwaves as a political megaphone.

33. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back A June, 2005, study by Democracy Radio revealed that:

34. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back A June, 2005, study by Democracy Radio revealed that: • national and local conservative broadcasts totaled over 40,000 hours per week.

35. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back A June, 2005, study by Democracy Radio revealed that: • national and local conservative broadcasts totaled over 40,000 hours per week • liberal programming totaled just 3,000 hours per week.

36. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back 25 percent of broadcast stations no longer offer any local news or public affairs programming at all.

37. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back 77% of voters favored restoring rules requiring fairness and balance to the public airwaves.

38. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back Over-the-air broadcasting remains the most powerful force affecting public opinion, especially on local issues.

39. Summit County Progressive Democrats Why We Need It Back “Political opinions expressed on talk radio are approaching the level of uniformity that would normally be achieved only in a totalitarian society.”

40. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It • A bill to reinstate the doctrine passed overwhelmingly in 1988, but Congress failed to override a Reagan’s veto.

41. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It • A bill to reinstate the doctrine passed overwhelmingly in 1988, but Congress failed to override a Reagan’s veto. • Another attempt in 1991 failed when President George H.W. Bush threatened another veto.

42. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Legislation to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine: No legislation is pending in the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.

43. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Legislation to prohibit the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine: H.R. 2905 S. 1742 S. 1748

44. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Key Legislators publicly supporting reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine Senate Dick Durbin (D) of Illinois John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts Diane Feinstein (D) of California

45. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Key Legislators publicly supporting reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine House of Representatives Dennis Kucinich (D) of Ohio John Dingell (D) of Michigan Ed Markley (D) of Massachusetts

46. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Key Legislators publicly opposing reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine Senate John Thune (R) of South Dakota Norman Coleman (R) of Minnesota (and over 40 Republican co-sponsors of the two bills)

47. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Key Legislators publicly opposing reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine House of Representatives Mike Pence (R) of Indiana (and over 200 Republican co-sponsors of his bill)

48. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Recommended Action for Summit County Progressive Democrats • Continue monitoring the progress of H.R. 2905, S. 1742 and S. 1748.

49. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Recommended Action for Summit County Progressive Democrats • Continue monitoring the progress of H.R. 2905, S. 1742 and S. 1748 • If these bills are scheduled for hearings, advise members of the SCPD PAC to contact their legislators and express opposition.

50. Summit County Progressive Democrats Efforts to Restore It Recommended Action for Summit County Progressive Democrats • Issue Team will correspond with their federal legislators requesting consideration for introducing or cosponsoring legislation to reinstate Fairness Doctrine.