Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., is moving to bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act up for a vote and keep talk radio free from government regulation.
Congressional Democrats have threatened to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, which was put in place by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1949 to force the nation’s TV and radio broadcasters to make time for voices on both sides of controversial issues. It was dropped as new technologies offered an abundance of sources for information.
Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said reinstating the Fairness Doctrine would force stations to stop addressing important policy issues.
“A Christian radio station discussing the issue of abortion would have to give airtime to a pro-abortion voice like Planned Parenthood,” she said. “Rather than present a view that fundamentally opposes the station’s core beliefs, it would likely steer clear of airing controversial topics altogether.”
The Broadcaster Freedom Act would prohibit the FCC from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has blocked the bill.
If 218 members of Congress sign the petition, the bill would move directly to the floor, bypassing Pelosi and burying the Fairness Doctrine. The petition has 185 signatures.
Pence is urging his colleagues to sign.
“The Broadcaster Freedom Act would ensure that no future president could regulate the airwaves of America without an act of Congress,” he told Family News in Focus.
In June, the House passed an amendment placing a one-year moratorium on the Fairness Doctrine. Though 113 Democrats voted in favor of the amendment, not one has signed the petition.
Horne said she sees no reason why every member who voted for the Pence amendment shouldn’t also sign the petition.
“Members who indicated their opposition to the Fairness Doctrine by voting for the Pence amendment last time around should be equally as eager to sign this petition and see the Broadcaster Freedom Act get a vote," she said.
Adrian Smith, R-Neb., who signed the petition, told Southwest Nebraska News that he believes the bill is important and deserves a vote.
“The exchange of ideas, thoughts and opinions available on radio and television makes our nation strong," he said. "I don’t always agree with what I hear, but I love the fact I live in a country where market-based principles have led to hundreds of options … all of which are free to air their views without fear of government reprisal."
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Find out if your representative voted for a moratorium on the Fairness Doctrine but has not yet signed Pence's petition. You can contact your representative through our Action Center.
