Senators threaten to block media ownership plan

By Peter Kaplan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators on Wednesday threatened to introduce bipartisan legislation that would block the U.S. Federal Communication Commission from acting quickly to ease rules governing media ownership.

Sens. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, and Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, said they were studying possible legislation that would nullify an FCC decision expected on December 18.

"I would expect those of us who feel strongly that this is the wrong approach will attempt to find a way to block an action that we think is inappropriate," Dorgan told reporters at a press conference.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin recently said he wants the agency to wrap up its examination of media ownership and reach a decision by December 18 on whether to ease limits on how many media outlets a company may own in a single market.

Martin has not proposed exactly what to do about the ownership limits. But Dorgan said on Wednesday that it was "certain" that Martin would propose to lift restrictions on cross-ownership between newspapers and radio and television stations. He said the proposal would probably also include a more general easing of other ownership rules.

A spokeswoman for the FCC declined comment on the senators' comments.

Consumer groups and Democrats on the FCC have expressed reservations about easing ownership rules, fearing that more consolidation in the industry would eliminate independent voices and degrade local news coverage.

Long-standing FCC rules restrict media cross-ownership and ban ownership of a newspaper and a TV or radio station in the same market, unless the FCC grants a waiver.