FCC announces probe into media's future

Posted by Savita Sauvin on January 22, 2010 at 12:53 PM

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has launched an initiative to examine the future of media in the digital age and to "help ensure that all Americans have access to vibrant, diverse sources of news and information that will enable them to enrich their families, communities and democracy."

"The Future of Media and the Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age" lists 42 questions the project is seeking to answer through research and asking for input from the public. Submissions for the project closes March 8. Quoting the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, the project states that the "digital age is creating an information and communications renaissance. But it is not serving all Americans and their local communities equally. It is not yet serving democracy fully," according to the Huffington Post.

When announcing the initiative, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said traditional media, such as newspapers, is at a cross-roads, and the FCC needs to fully understand all the technological changes in order to enact appropriate policies for media in the United States.

"We are at a critical juncture in the evolution of American media," he said, according to Broadcasting & Cable. "Rapid technological change in the media marketplace has created opportunities for tremendous innovation. It has also caused financial turmoil for traditional media, calling into question whether these media outlets will continue to play their historic role in providing local communities with essential news and civic information. With this crucial initiative, the FCC commits to fully understanding the fundamental changes underway in the media marketplace and examining what impact such changes may have for Commission policies, while vigorously protecting the First Amendment."

Steve Waldman, president and co-founder of Beliefnet.com, who recently joined the FCC as a senior advisor to the chairman, will head up the project.

The results of the study will be released in a report later this year. Topics will likely include:
- the state of traditional media, such as newspapers, TV, and radio, as well as news on digital platforms;
- "effectiveness and nature of public interest obligations" in digital media;
- the part public media and private foundations will play in the future, MediaWeek reported.

The report will serve as a basis for policy recommendations for the government and the commission.