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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202/  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT 
 October  29,  2001  Michelle  Russo  at  (202)  418-  2358 


 FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  POWELL  ANNOUNCES  CREATION  OF  MEDIA  OWNERSHIP  WORKING  GROUP 


 Washington,  D.  C.  -  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  today  announced  the  creation  of  a 
 Media  Ownership  Working  Group  that  will  be  tasked  with  developing  a  solid  factual  and 
 analytical  foundation  for  media  ownership  regulation.  The  findings  of  this  Working  Group  will 
 provide  an  empirical  and  analytical  basis  for  the  FCC  to  achieve  its  long-  standing  goals  of 
 promoting  diversity,  localism,  and  competition  in  the  media.  Powell  made  this  announcement  at 
 a  media  ownership  policy  roundtable  that  was  held  today. 


 Chairman  Powell  said,  “Rebuilding  the  factual  foundation  of  the  Commission’s  media 
 ownership  regulations  is  one  of  my  top  priorities.  For  too  long,  the  Commission  has  made 
 sweeping  media  policy  decisions  without  a  contemporaneous  picture  of  the  media  market.  We 
 need  to  rigorously  examine  whether  current  forms  of  media  regulation  are  achieving  the 
 Commission’s  policy  objectives,  and  how  changes  in  regulations  would  affect  the  policy  goals  of 
 competition,  diversity,  and  localism.  I  am  creating  the  Media  Ownership  Working  Group  to 
 bring  a  sharp  focus  to  these  tasks.” 


 The  members  of  the  working  group  include: 
 W.  Kenneth  Ferree,  Chief  of  Cable  Services  Bureau 
 Paul  Gallant,  Special  Advisor  to  the  Bureau  Chief,  Cable  Services  Bureau 
 Nandan  Joshi,  Attorney-  Advisor,  Office  of  General  Counsel 
 Jonathan  Levy,  Deputy  Chief  Economist,  FCC 
 Robert  Ratcliffe,  Deputy  Chief,  Mass  Media  Bureau 
 David  Sappington,  Chief  Economist,  FCC 
 Royce  Dickens  Sherlock,  Deputy  Chief,  Policy  Division,  Cable  Services  Bureau 


 Chairman  Powell  emphasized  the  importance  of  policymakers  having  a  clear  and 
 informed  understanding  of  the  current  state  of  the  market.  “The  first  step  toward  a  more 
 contemporary  regulatory  regime  is  to  strengthen  our  understanding  of  the  media  market.  What 
 media  choices  do  consumers  have?  What  are  the  business  realities  of  different  delivery  systems? 
 How  is  innovation  in  media  technology  affected  by  FCC  regulation?  Conducting  an  empirical 
 examination  of  these  types  of  questions  will  give  us  a  solid  foundation  to  re-  evaluate  the  way  we 
 regulate  media  companies.” 


 Powell  said  that  the  group  will  work  with  other  staff  members  on  current  and  future 
 media  ownership  proceedings  and  that  the  group’s  findings  will  be  a  part  of  those  proceedings. 


 -  FCC  -For 


 more  information  about  the  FCC  Media  Ownership  Working  Group,  visit  www.  fcc.  gov/  ownership. 
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