I was wondering when someone would get around to pondering the effects of the Fairness Doctrine on the internet. Apparently, FCC members have.
FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks.
The commissioner, a 2006 President Bush appointee, told the Business & Media Institute the Fairness Doctrine could be intertwined with the net neutrality battle. The result might end with the government regulating content on the Web, he warned. McDowell, who was against reprimanding Comcast, said the net neutrality effort could win the support of “a few isolated conservatives” who may not fully realize the long-term effects of government regulation.
“I think the fear is that somehow large corporations will censor their content, their points of view, right,” McDowell said. “I think the bigger concern for them should be if you have government dictating content policy, which by the way would have a big First Amendment problem.”
The big problem with the Fairness Doctrine is that the government shouldn't be in the business of telling Americans what they can and can't read, listen to, or watch, provided there are safeguards for minors. It's not about whether someone's speech is offensive or not; it's about allowing people to express themselves without fear of government oppression. You don't have to like someone else's speech to appreciate that squelching speech you dislike will inevitably lead to squelching speech you do like.
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