Wanted: a leader who understands that the “open” Internet doesn’t mean a burst pipe, thinks a diverse media is more than just a few minority network anchors, and isn’t afraid to battle chest-thumping corporate lobbyists to protect the public’s interest.

Tell Obama What You Want the New FCC Chair To Do

Alright, so we may not be doing the hiring, but President-elect Barack Obama is, and we the public need to hold the president-elect to his campaign promises as he picks the next head of the Federal Communications Commission.

Obama will soon announce his choice to lead the FCC, a decision that will influence every facet of our media system – from media consolidation to broadband access and cell phone innovation.

Obama has pledged to make media in America more open, diverse and democratic, but will he stand by this promise in the face of intense insider pressure to choose a more industry friendly FCC chairman?

This week, Free Press placed a “help wanted” ad on behalf of the American people in four influential Washington publications to remind the incoming administration that the new chair must put the needs of Main Street before Wall Street. This means delivering on Obama’s campaign promises to enforce Net Neutrality, build out broadband services to the tens of millions of Americans still off the grid, and to stop the gobbling up of local media outlets by massive corporate owners like Clear Channel, Disney and News Corp.

The ads appeared in the classified sections of the Washington Post, Washington Times, Politico and The Hill.

“We’re just doing our part to make sure that the next head of the FCC is looking out for the public interest,” said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. “The person who takes this job will play a major role in transforming the media and shaping the future of the Internet. We need someone whose priorities match the public’s demands.”

The new FCC chair will be charged with bringing American media into the 21st century, which is why Obama must also hear from you before deciding.

Vote now on the top three qualifications you most want for the FCC chair. We’ll compile the votes and send them on to Obama’s FCC transition team.

The FCC has been held hostage by corporate interests for too long. Now is our best chance to change course and make real the possibility of universal broadband access, an open Internet, and more locally controlled radio and TV.

Let’s speak out to make sure we find the right person for the job. Leave your nominations for the new FCC chair in the comment thread below.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 10:14 am and is filed under Uncategorized.-->