The House Democratic leadership, which controls the legislative schedule, currently has no plans to bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act -- which would permanently ban the Fairness Doctrine -- up for a vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told CNSNews.com at the Capitol on Wednesday.
And if you can't believe Steny Hoyer, who can you believe?
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans on Wednesday unveiled legislation identical to the Broadcaster Freedom Act , with the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.)
The Fairness Doctrine was a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation that required broadcasters to grant equal airtime to opposing viewpoints. The rule was rolled back during the Reagan administration.
One result of that was the market demand for conservative talk radio and the rise of popular programs such as the Rush Limbaugh Show and the Sean Hannity Show, among many others.
In recent years, however, Democratic leaders, including Hoyer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) have spoken in favor of restoring the doctrine.
In 2007, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) introduced the Broadcaster Freedom Act to strip FCC officials of the power to restore the doctrine. Pence's bill, however, was not brought to the floor for a vote because of opposition from Democratic leadership. |