Senate votes to override media ownership rule

By Peter Kaplan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate voted on Thursday to overturn new, looser media ownership restrictions in the 20 biggest U.S. cities, defying a White House threat to veto the measure.

Senators, on a voice vote, approved a resolution nullifying the new, relaxed ownership rules adopted in December by the Federal Communications Commission.

The vote moved lawmakers a step closer toward overturning the new FCC rule.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, a co-sponsor of the resolution, said he was deeply troubled by the FCC's rule relaxing media cross-ownership.

"As corporate ownership over our media grows more concentrated, we see less and less of the diversity of our nation. When programming is the same from coast to coast, our airwaves will no longer reflect the rich mosaic of our country and our citizens," said Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat.

The vote came hours after the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement saying the new FCC rule "furthers the public interest by providing greater financial flexibility to newspaper and broadcast outlets struggling to survive in today's intensely competitive media environment.

"The Administration supported this FCC action and strongly opposes any attempt to overturn this rule by legislative means," the statement says.

The new FCC rules eased a 1975 ban on ownership of a newspaper and broadcast outlet in a single market. Similar legislation has been introduced in the House but has not come up for a vote yet.