Chaos Magnet

Now here's a potential happy

Now here's a potential happy ending. Apparently three quarters of a million people got off their behinds and submitted comments to the FCC regarding the proposed loosening of Big Media ownership rules, and 99% of them were opposed to it. So where the media companies thought they were a shoo-in to be able to expand their reach beyond the illegal levels they already occupy, they now find themselves and their backers in a difficult position. Last week the House of Representatives added a rider to Commerce, Justice and State Department's spending bill that prohibits a single corporation from owning stations that cover more than 35% of the country, and the Senate is expected to do the same. Thing is, President Bush has already threatened to veto it.

Of course, to do that, he'll have to veto the entire bill, which also pays for everything else the Justice Department does, such as anti-terrorism activities. As Brooks Boliek points out, "The Democrats have to be salivating, as a veto would make it easier to paint Bush as being a tool of big business."

If, that is, anybody finds out about it on the handful of stations that aren't owned by Big Media.