Take off your hat, crank up a dirge, and get out the shovel, for it’s time to put the last bit of dirt over the Fairness Doctrine. It’s dead.
The FCC killed it on Monday. Buried it.
“Our extensive efforts to eliminate outdated regulations,” explained FCC Chairman Julias Genachowski, “are rooted in our commitment to ensure that FCC rules and policies promote a healthy climate for private investment and job creation.”
A total of 83 regulations were deleted in the efficiency-minded campaign.
And it’s nice to hear of it. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving … target.
Actually, it’s been a score of years since the old dinosaur of speech regulation “fell into desuetude,” as President Grover Cleveland might have put it. (Ol’ Grover was not exactly a punchy writer.) And hurray for its death and burial — let’s hope it shall not rise from its coffin, like Dracula in a cheap horror flick.
For the “Fairness Doctrine” was an attempt to regulate speech rather than let speech remain free. It helped further solidify the two-party system in America, and the very idea that there were only “two sides” to any political question … when it is obvious that a whole spectrum of possibilities exists for nearly any proposal or issue.
The Founding Fathers were right: Congress should “make no law” abridging the freedom of speech.
Interestingly, the regulation received its death blow not from Congress, but from the Federal Communications Commission.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
7 replies on “Dead Doctrine”
Aaaarrrggghhhh!
I am so jaded.
All I can think of is “what are they up to instead?”
Wasn’t the FCC plannign to do something on the Internet- to be sure that all “views” are shown”?
and also to try and streengthen the “fairness doctrine”?
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And, why should Congress do anything to get rid of regulations-especially if it could help them ( the incumbents) or their constutients-like, give me a bribe, i mean campaign contribution, and I will help. And look at John mccain sued the rrules to fight a primary challenger whose family is not as wealthy as Mrs. McCain 9estimated worth 4100 million- as per during the 2008 election time news); to force a radio announcer/talk show host to either quit his job ro drop out of a primary.
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Rules and laws are to protect the incumbeents and their loyalist, screw the people.
In my view, all parties; all politicians.
George Washington warned that if we put our faith in parties that we would be betrayed and put the country at risk.
They are still going full blast on net “neutrality”.
The abandonment of the “fairness” doctrine in no way, shape, or form means that they are backing off of controling what information reaches the public.
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Might (also) want to remember that during the revolution in Egypt (another fiasco, in my view, for US interests-another desertion of an ally for an Islamist state)- the government shut down the Internet.
AND SENATORS HERE, INCLUDIGN LIEBERMAN (I/D- CONN) APPLAUDED THIS, and said the Pres. should have the same pwoer ( ’ but only in a national emergency”-probably, as determined by the WH., Congress, K Street, etc).
and screw the people.
Watch the other hand with these progress-o-crats.
What they will replace the “Fairness” doctrine with will be 1,000 times draconian!
America is headed to a “state of the unions” iif we don’t get our heads out.