*Pages 1--1 from Microsoft Word - 61173.doc* 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 November 22, 2006 Bruce Gottlieb 202 / 418 2000 COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS COMMENTS ON THE FCC’S MEDIA OWNERSHIP STUDIES Any FCC decision that could fundamentally reshape the nation’s media environment must be reached through a process that is open and transparent to the American people. Today’s announcement of the Commission’s new media ownership studies, unfortunately, raises more questions in the public’s mind than it answers. How were the contractors selected for the outside projects? How much money is being spent on each project— and on the projects collectively? What kind of peer review process is envisioned? Why are the topics so generalized rather than being targeted to more specific questions? When the majority of the previous FCC voted to loosen the ownership rules in 2003, a federal court took them to task for inadequate justification of their handiwork. My hope has been that the Commission would not head off on the same tangent again— especially at a time when many people already doubt the credibility of the research we do. 1