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 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  06-  93 
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 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  DEBORAH  TAYLOR  TATE 
 Re:  2006  Quadrennial  Regulatory  Review  and  2002  Biennial  Regulatory  Review  –  Review  of  the  Commission’s  Broadcast  Ownership  Rules  and  Other  Rules  Adopted  Pursuant  to 
 Section  202  of  the  Telecommunications  Act  of  1996,  et  al.,  MB  Docket  Nos.  06-  121  and  02-  277,  MM  Docket  Nos.  01-  235,  01-  317  and  00-  244. 


 With  today’s  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking  (Further  Notice),  we  invite  the  public  to  comment  on  how  to  address  the  issues  raised  by  the  U.  S.  Court  of  Appeals  for  the  Third 
 Circuit  in  the  Prometheus  decision  and  concurrently  initiate  the  next  quadrennial  review  of  the  media  ownership  rules  as  required  by  Section  202(  h)  of  the  Telecommunications  Act  of  1996. 


 The  future  is  under  construction  right  now,  and  we  need  to  be  addressing  issues  like  this  one  in  order  to  create  an  environment  that  allows  markets  to  work  while  still  protecting  the 
 interests  of  consumers.  My  recent  trip  to  China  drove  home  how  interconnected  today’s  media  world  really  is.  As  China  prepares  for  the  2008  Olympic  Games,  I  now  realize  how  Americans 
 will  have  the  instantaneous  experience  of  these  games  from  a  world  away  not  just  from  the  American  media  but  from  the  global  media.  As  we  move  forward,  we  must  realize  that  the  world 
 is  indeed  interconnected  and  that  American  companies  must  be  able  to  compete  in  order  to  continue  to  be  global  leaders  in  the  media  marketplace. 


 Moreover,  I  believe  that  it  is  critical  that  we,  as  policymakers,  do  not  lose  touch  with  how  communications  technology,  and  the  decisions  we  make  in  this  arena,  may  serve  to  improve, 
 enhance,  educate,  and  maybe  even  inspire  the  lives  of  all  Americans.  Media  ownership  will  affect  issues  as  diverse  as  the  quality  and  quantity  of  children’s  television,  the  diversity  of 
 opinions  in  our  nation’s  political  discourse,  or  how  we  get  important  information  in  the  event  of  an  emergency.  I  look  forward  to  the  public’s  input  on  the  issues  presented  by  this  Further  Notice. 
 In  particular,  I  hope  that  we  can  help  consumers  understand  the  importance  of  the  issues  we  are  discussing  and  give  them  an  opportunity  to  make  their  voices  heard.  I  am  committed  to  working 
 with  my  FCC  colleagues  to  ensure  that  our  actions  further  competition,  localism,  and  diversity  in  the  global  media  marketplace. 
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