What the Public Wants from a New FCC
December 5th, 2008 by Megan TadyIn case there was any question about what the American public wants from a new Federal Communications Commission, it’s clear now.
More than 9,000 people and counting have voted on the top three qualifications they most want in President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for FCC chair. Obama is expected to announce his pick for the office at any moment.
Outnumbering eight other choices by a wide margin, voters said that enforcing Net Neutrality, breaking up media conglomerates, and stopping propaganda, fake news and radio payola should be the top three priorities of any candidate for the FCC position.
You can view the full results here.
The poll is part of a national campaign to pressure Obama to hold true to his campaign promises to make media in America more open, diverse and democratic. 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.
The ads appeared in the classified sections of the Washington Post, Washington Times, Politico, The Hill, Craigslist and Ars Technica.
Free Press will be delivering the results of the poll to Obama’s FCC transition team soon, but it’s not too late to cast your vote. Already done it? Get others to vote too by spreading the word. We now have a widget available that you can embed in a blog post or on the side bar of your Web site. And be sure to keep posting your nominations for the new FCC chair in the comment thread below.
