FCC and First Amendment

     The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the federal government.  Congress formed the FCC in 1934 to replace the Federal Radio Commission.  The mission of the FCC is to regulate interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.  The wire and cable part would include the wire services for newspapers.  Your favorite web site and the Internet are also under the FCC’s control.  The mission and scope of the agency was revised and expanded in 1948 and 1996.  The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau was added in 2006. 

Five commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms direct the FCC.  The FCC has an annual budget of over $300 million with close to 2,000 employees so it is not a small agency.  The FCC performs a necessary function of the federal government as allowed and restricted under the Constitution and the Bill of rights.  

The First Amendment to the Constitution is most often referred to of the Bill of Rights.  It reads: 

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

        This is pretty simple.  Freedom of religion, which is often misquoted (and violated) as “separation of church and state.”  Free speech is simple as long as it is not libelous.  Freedom to peaceably assemble and petition the government are just as important, but not as often quoted. 

        Freedom of the press is where the Federal Communications Commission gets involved.  Our founding fathers felt the press played an essential role in keeping the public informed of what was happening in government.  This would insure the Constitution was followed, and prevent the political elite from turning the country into a totalitarian state.  Freedom of the press was and is essential for our great republic to survive.

        Here is the problem:  The FCC recently started to implement a program to monitor newsrooms.  What?  Isn’t this a direct violation of First Amendment?  Every news media in the country should have been in an uproar, but that did not happen.  To my knowledge it was not even covered except by that evil Fox News.  The FCC has now backed off and says the program needs further evaluation.  What a joke! 

Considering history with the IRS and NSA, do we want the FCC monitoring our news?  In addition to the obvious violation of the first amendment, this program would expand the size, scope and cost of the FCC thus increasing the size and power of the federal government. 

What has happened to our national news?  If you want know what sports team won, or the outrageous behavior of some celebrity, or who is wearing what at the Academy Awards, fine.  Don’t expect accurate news about the government and the political elite that may affect your freedom and the freedom of your children.  Most of our media has already become more a lap dog to government than a watchdog.  I normally refer to one of three lame stream television networks as the Government Network. 

We must follow the Constitution to protect our liberties.  The FCC has no business monitoring newsrooms.  We need a free press to protect our freedom.  The press is already too biased in my opinion.  We all have an obligation to get the facts about what is happening in government.  Considering history with the IRS and NSA, do we want the FCC monitoring our news?