DU Action Alert on Media Deregulation Roll Back from Move On! Help!

[KoKo]

Let's get those letters going folks. Our first effort was successful.


Dear MoveOn member,
You've been a critical part of the movement to stop the FCC rule change and media
monopoly.
This week or next, the Senate will vote on whether to roll back the rule change. It
could be very
close. This vote is the Big One -- the last major vote in the Senate on this issue --
and we need
your help now. Please tell the Senate to put the FCC rule change to bed at:

http://www.moveon.org/stopthefcc/

Then help us reach 100,000 signers by Wednesday by passing this message on to
your friends
and colleagues and encouraging them to sign as well. On Wednesday, MoveOn.org
will be
holding a crucial press conference with Senator Dorgan (D-ND) and Senator
Snowe (R-ME) and
groups across the political spectrum to highlight the broad opposition to the FCC
rule change. If
we can get 100,000 signers, we'll demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt the
breadth of
support for the roll-back. It could mean the difference between success and defeat.

Last spring, MoveOn members joined with members of groups from Common
Cause and NOW to the NRA to voice our opposition to
an FCC rule change that would alter the dynamics of the American news media.
The rule change proposed to tear down old
boundaries that controlled how much of the media in a given community (and in the
entire country) could be owned by one
company.

After over 2 million Americans wrote the FCC to oppose the change, the FCC
chairman, Michael Powell, pushed through the rule
change anyway, in a 3-2 party line vote. But Congress was watching, and when we
asked Congress to roll back the rule change,
Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle were listening.

In July, the House struck down one piece of the rule change by a 400-to-21 vote. It
was a big win, and media companies were
shocked. As big contributors to both political parties, media conglomerates had
assumed that their bottom line would be Congress'
first priority. "Never before have I seen an FCC chairman's decision repudiated by
the House of Representatives so quickly and so
emphatically," said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA).

So, in August, the media companies fought back. They launched a multi-million
dollar lobbying campaign, using distorted polls and
misleading advertising to twist the arms of members of the Senate.

Now, in the next week, the final vote on rolling back the FCC rule change will come
to the Senate floor. We can beat this thing, but
we'll need every last person to do so. Please sign the "Stop the FCC" petition right
now, and ask your friends and family to sign as
well.

You can sign now at:

http://www.moveon.org/stopthefcc/

Together, we can make sure that America's media is diverse, competitive, and
balanced.

Sincerely,
--Carrie, Eli, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
The MoveOn Team
September 8th, 2003

[Frances]

1. Signed and Sent

Thanks for the link.

[liberalnurse]

2. Good Post.....

I just checked my email and had an update......I'm on it too.