Legal Info

Group Legal documents

Groups File to Protect FCC Ownership Rules

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Article in Freepress.net by Craig Aaron, 9/20/24

Headline: “Public-Interest Groups Defend FCC’s Broadcast-Ownership Rules Promoting Competition, Diversity and Localism on Air”

“On Friday, six public-interest, media-reform, media-justice and labor organizations joined to file an amicus curiae brief defending the Federal Communications Commission’s broadcast-ownership rules against an industry challenge in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“The six groups are Common Cause, the Communications Workers of America-National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, Free Press, the Future of Music Coalition, the musicFIRST Coalition and the United Church of Christ Office of Communication, Inc. (“UCC Media Justice”). All of these entities have long participated in FCC proceedings and court cases on this issue. Attorneys Cheryl Leanza and Rachel Stillwell authored and filed the brief on the groups’ behalf.

“The FCC’s media-ownership rules are designed to promote competition, viewpoint diversity, ownership diversity and the delivery of local content by broadcast stations licensed to serve communities all across the United States.”

https://www.freepress.net/news/press-releases/public-interest-groups-defend-fccs-broadcast-ownership-rules

FCC  broadcast ownership rules:

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/fccs-review-broadcast-ownership-rules

Article on the kkfistory website from community radio pioneers Lorenzo Milam and Jeremy Lansman who protested to the FCC against duopoly and bland, monolithic radio of 1974.

https://www.kkfistory.org/lorenzo-jeremys-petition-against-god/

Going, Going, Gone!?

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Article by Don Jacobson on UPI, 9/19/25

Headline: “Trump Media shares reach new low as lockup period set to expire”

“Trump Media, which trades under the ticker symbol DTJ, is the parent company of the GOP nominee’s Truth Social social media platform.

“Thursday’s drop-off continued a six-day slide that has seen Trump Media shares fall more than 10%, wiping out billions in value as retail investors nervously eyed the expiration of the lockup period, under which early investors, including the former president himself, were barred from selling shares following a merger with publicly traded shell company.”

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/09/19/Trump-Media-shares-reach-new-low-lockup-period-set-expire/4501726765890/

Murdoch Media Empire Fate Now in Court

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AP photo by Noah Berger

Article in Associated Press by Scott Sonner, 9/16/24

Headline: “Control of the Murdoch media empire could be at stake in a closed-door hearing in Nevada”

“A probate court in Nevada is set to begin reviewing evidence behind closed doors in a case that could determine who will control Rupert Murdoch’s media empire after his death.”

“The court’s ruling notes that Murdoch sought to give Lachlan permanent and exclusive control over his companies because the mogul was worried that a lack of consensus among his children could affect the strategic direction at his companies, including potentially leading to a change in editorial policy and content, according to the Times report.”

https://apnews.com/article/rupert-murdoch-news-corp-murdoch-family-trust-9a4b20037e43f46ad5934797579dcd8e

Getting the Media Ready for the Election

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Article in Al Jezeera by By Niko Vorobyov, 9/12/24

Headling:  ” ‘Guerrilla projects’: Russia revels in US allegations of media warfare”

Subhead:  “Public figures close to President Putin goad Washington after the DoJ alleged that RT is puppeteering social media influencers.”

“Last week, the United States Department of Justice unsealed an indictment accusing a Tennessee-based company, believed to be Tenet Media, of accepting millions of dollars from the Russian state-owned media outlet RT and promoting ‘pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation across social media to US audiences’.

. . . “As well as federal indictments, the US Treasury slapped RT, whose employees are accused of funneling cash to Tenet, with sanctions.

“Separately, the Russian-born former Trump adviser and conservative pundit, Dimitri Simes, was indicted for allegedly working on behalf of another sanctioned Russian broadcaster, Channel One.

“In Russia, news of the sanctions and indictments were framed as another front of informational warfare.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/12/guerrilla-projects-russia-revels-in-us-allegations-of-media-warfare

Fox & Wall Street Journal in Jeopardy?

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Getty Image

Article on Reuters by By Dawn Chmielewski, 9/12/24

Headline: “Murdoch succession battle to play out in Nevada courtroom”

“A closed-door court battle over control of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire begins Sept. 16, and could determine the future of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.

“Murdoch, 93, is attempting to change the terms of the family’s irrevocable trust to ensure his newspapers and television networks remain under control of his eldest son and chosen heir, Lachlan Murdoch, according to the New York Times, which obtained a sealed court document detailing the succession drama.

. . . “The news organizations say the public has immense interest in which of Murdoch’s children will succeed him at the helm of the influential media empire, an outcome that will affect thousands of jobs, millions of worldwide media consumers and the political landscape.”

https://www.reuters.com/legal/murdoch-succession-battle-play-out-nevada-courtroom-2024-

 

How to file a comment to the FCC on Net Neutrality Before August 15th

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What is the Friends of Community Media group?

FCM is a group of your neighbors that promotes community-based media including the Internet, who educate citizens on the media, and who want media to be responsive to the public-interest in their coverage.

FCM is currently very worried about that a very few large corporations and money-people want to do away with Internet protections gained under the Obama Administration. This is known as “net neutrality” – or an open-Internet for all.

What do the money-people want to do to the Internet?

Under the Trump Administration, the danger is that a few money-people and large corporations want to make you pay more to access the Internet at a reasonable speed, and probably control what you see or don’t see.  They use the name, “The Restoring Internet Freedom” rule where their use of the word “freedom” is really a smokescreen for turning the Internet over to moneyed interests and enacting Internet censorship.

 What can ordinary people like us do?

Join the resistance by letting your voice be heard at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by August 15th with comments on what has been posted on the issue.  Almost 10 million already commented to the FCC – most are against dismantling net neutrality – and others are bots from large corporations that are in favor of the new rules.

What can I do and what should I write?

Friends of Community Media already prepared and filed an extensive rebuttal to the new rules on July 17th in a comment to the Federal Communications Commission.  When sending in your comments, refer to our comment to the FCC which shows up as:

By August 15th send your comments on FCM’s comment to:

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings

The link to the entire text of FCM’s comments is here:

https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10718681816260/FCC%2017-60A1.pdf

FCM pro-net neutrality filing with the FCC

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On Monday 7/17/17 Friends of Community Media filed a comment with the FCC protesting the abolishing of net neutrality regulations.  Doing away with these rules, would give major media companies unprecedented authority to raise Internet service providers fees, and power to censor content on an open-Internet.  Many thanks to Amy, Gordon, and Spencer for the work they put in to do this!

For a full text of the FCM document, here is the link:

https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10718681816260/FCC%2017-60A1.pdf