FCC Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities in the Digital Age

Before the
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20554

In the Matter of

Examination of the Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age

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GN Dkt 10-25

JOINT COMMENTS OF
ACCESS HUMBOLDT, AFRO-NETIZEN, APPALSHOP, BERKELEY COMMUNITY
MEDIA , CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR RURAL POLICY, CENTER FOR
COMMUNICATION AND DEMOCRACY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-
MADISON, CENTER FOR MEDIA JUSTICE, CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION, CENTER
FOR RURAL STRATEGIES, DONALD MCGANNON COMMUNICATION
RESEARCH CENTER AT FORDHAM UNIVERSITY , ESPERANZA PEACE AND
JUSTICE CENTER, FREE PRESS , INSTITUTE FOR LOCAL SELF-RELIANCE,
MAIN STREET PROJECT, MEDIA ACTION GRASSROOTS NETWORK, MEDIA
ALLIANCE, MEDIA ACCESS PROJECT, MEDIA MOBILIZING PROJECT, MEDIA
JUSTICE LEAGUE, MEDIA LITERACY PROJECT, NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR
MEDIA, ART AND CULTURE (NAMAC), NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION , RURAL
BROADBAND POLICY GROUP, RECLAIM THE MEDIA, SOUTHWEST
ORGANIZING PROJECT, THOUSAND KITES

May 7, 2010

New America Foundation
1899 L Street N.W.
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
202 986 2700

Free Press
501 3rd Street NW
Suite 875
Washington, DC 20001
202-265-1490

Media Access Project

1625 K Street NW

Washington, DC 20006

202.232.4300

SUMMARY

New American Foundation, Free Press, and Media Access Project et al. respectfully submit
these comments in the FCC’s inquiry into the Future of Media. This proceeding represents an
ambitious, yet critical undertaking to examine the news and information needs of communities in
light of economic and technological shifts in the media industry.

These comments encompass four broad areas for the Commission’s consideration:

(1) The information needs of communities and whether they are being met
(2) The trends and challenges in the provision of news and information
(3) FCC-specific policy recommendations to increase transparency and accountability of

media, as well as to promote access to diverse sources of information

(4) Policy recommendations that fall outside the FCC’s regulatory jurisdiction, but that are

nonetheless an important component of a holistic approach to the crisis in media

Information Needs of Communities: While it is true that most people now have access to

more information than at any previous time in human history, it also unfortunately remains the case that race, gender, income, education, geography, age, disability, and sexual orientation all continue to unjustly shape Americans’ opportunities.Many communities, both of identity and

geography, have never been well-served by existing media outlets and infrastructure.
Communities of color, native and rural areas have often been excluded from access to robust
infrastructure and emerging technologies, and the issues affecting them have too often been
unexplored by professional journalists. New technologies are creating opportunities to address
that, but technological change alone will not create equitable representation or access.

We determine that despite the proliferation of new technologies that have the potential to
enhance access to information, by and large the information needs are not being met. In
particular, the unevenly distributed nature of the "digital revolution" and the lack of local

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information equality have a negative impact on both health and economic well being of

communities.

Trends and Challenges in the Provision of News and Information: The digital revolution has

upset old business models – particularly those of the advertising-reliant variety. As a
consequence, there exists a looming – though not certain – market failure in the production and
circulation of publicly relevant news, especially at the local level. Traditional media are
scrambling to maintain balance in the new environment, but have been slow to adapt. However,
while there is much cause for concern about the ability of the new media environment to meet
the needs of a democratic society, there are also innovations currently underway in newsrooms.
While many are in their infancy, they hold the promise for enhancing both production of
information as well as engaging communities and individuals in creative new media endeavors.

Additionally, new journalistic and civic engagement ecosystems are sprouting up in local
news markets across the country, but these systems are emerging in a halting and uneven
fashion. As has been widely noted, many of the newest digital media outlets do little or no
original reporting. What’s worse, practices of “digital redlining” and the consequences of the
migration of legacy news organizations to suburban markets have the potential to replicate
patterns of clustered “information paucity” that existed in the pre-digital era.

FCC policies can enhance the availability and diversity of information: The FCC has a

legitimate interest and important to role to play in promoting a vibrant Fourth Estate.

Historically, the FCC has sought to foster, not only a substantialquantity of information, but also

quality of, as well as access to information by promoting competition, diversity, and localism.

We suggest a number of FCC actions, many on existing proceedings that would preserve or

enhance the production and availability of news and information. Moreover, none of these