DOES THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996 PROMOTE MONOPOLY?

YES. HERE ARE THE FACTS:

1. Since the passage of the bill, more and more radio and TV stations around the U.S. are owned by fewer and fewer people. Multinational media corporations have increased their rate of acquisition of stations.

2. The amount of cross-ownership of media outlets has increased. Today, in many communities, one company can now own the local newspaper, the broadcast stations, the cable TV company, and the local magazines.

3. When you go out and buy a book, there’s a good chance the same company owns the publishing house, the book chain which sells it, and the newspaper or TV show which reviewed it for you. They may already own the movie rights or TV rights to it too.

4. The amount of mergers in the telecommunications industry have exploded at a breathtaking pace. The choices available to you as far as ISPs, online services, and high-bandwidth data services have decreased.

5. The rate of disappearance for independent media outlets - independent booksellers, independent ‘zines, independent film studios, independent music labels, independent publishers - has increased. They are all either getting bought out or crushed by their larger, ‘synergized’ competition.

6. The number of cable/satellite channels has increased - it’s nowhere near 500, but many subscribers can get up to 200 or more. Unfortunately, the number of companies who OWN those channels is shrinking even as the amount available increases. The irony is that we are getting more and more of less and less diverse content.

7. The rate of corporate donations from the Telecom industry to Congress has increased 300% since 1995. Ever wonder why? Did they get what they paid for?

8. The number of prosecutions by the FCC of unlicensed (‘pirate’) broadcasters has increased 150% since 1996. The cost of obtaining an FCC license, in contrast, has now increased to around $500,000 once all the ink is dry.