STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER DEBORAH TAYLOR TATE
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA MEDIA OWNERSHIP FIELD HEARING
As a state and FCC Commissioner, I have been a proponent of outreach initiatives
to solicit public input. Transparency in government decision-making is important and 
forms the basis of our nation’s administrative procedure laws.  During our first two 
public hearings on media ownership – in Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest media 
market and one of its most diverse, and in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, home 
to a vibrant music industry – we heard from elected officials, music legends, songwriters, 
academics, and well over a thousand citizens.  Now, I welcome the opportunity to hear 
from the citizens of the Harrisburg-Lancaster-York area, the 41st largest media market in 
the nation, as we continue our ongoing conversation regarding the FCC’s broadcast 
ownership rules.
Given the important role that the broadcast media play in our democratic society’s 
marketplace of ideas, I am committed to working with my FCC colleagues to ensure that 
our actions further the touchstone goals of competition, localism, and diversity. As we 
review our media ownership rules, however, we must be mindful of the ongoing, 
dramatic changes in the ways we – especially “generation-i,” those raised with the 
Internet – receive our news, information, and entertainment, anytime, anywhere.  And our 
mobile phones now provide us with stock quotes and e-mail updates from sources across 
the globe.  We must make sure that we account for these new voices and platforms, 
because, from a regulatory standpoint, the media marketplace of tomorrow is being 
shaped by our actions today.
Thank you to all those here in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and to our dedicated 
FCC staff who worked long and hard to make this hearing possible.  I look forward to 
hearing from our distinguished panelists and, especially, from those members of the 
public who are with us today.