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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  Contact:  David  Fiske  December  4,  2002  (202)  418-  0513 
 FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  POWELL  ANNOUNCES  PUBLIC  HEARING  IN  RICHMOND,  VA.  ON  MEDIA  OWNERSHIP 
 FCC  Chairman  Michael  Powell  announced  today  that  the  Commission  will  hold  a  public  hearing  on  media  ownership  issues  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  February,  2003. 
 Powell  said  the  hearing  will  provide  another  opportunity  to  solicit  public  opinion  about  media  ownership  issues  in  a  mid-  sized  market  and  will  supplement  the  media  hearing  the 
 Commission  held  in  October  2001  and  the  extensive  record  that  has  already  been  accumulated. 
 Chairman  Powell  stated  “I  agree  that  a  local  public  hearing  can  provide  value  to  our  proceedings.  Severe  budget  constraints  and  a  commitment  not  to  further  delay  completion  of 
 this  critical  proceeding  are  also  paramount  considerations  in  conducting  such  a  hearing  and  the  choice  of  venue.  Conducting  a  hearing  in  Richmond  appropriately  balances  those  concerns.” 


 “He  said,  “The  Commission  will  continue  to  look  for  opportunities  to  ensure  that  we  are  soliciting  input  from  the  public  both  generally,  and  in  association  with  the  empirical  studies 
 which  I  believe  provide  the  most  important  foundation  for  our  decision  in  a  manner  that  the  courts  will  sustain,”  stated  Chairman  Powell.  The  Commission  released  12  studies  in  early 
 October  and  is  currently  soliciting  comments  on  those  studies.  In  addition,  the  authors  of  those  studies  continue  to  be  available  to  the  public  to  answer  questions  about  the  studies.” 


 Powell  said,  “The  Commission  is  committed  to  developing  a  set  of  media  ownership  rules  that  are  internally  consistent,  tailored  to  the  modern  media  marketplace  and  empirically 
 justified.  The  public  interest,  and  the  courts,  demand  nothing  less.” 
 Details  on  the  public  hearing  will  be  released  at  a  later  date. 


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