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GAO Report Slams FCC
eldavojohn writes "The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has made a report available today that was requested a year ago by a Democratic senator that finds the Federal Communications Commissions has been favoring lobbyists a little too much. 'The report says that some people at the commission warn lobbyists when a particular issue is about to come up for a vote. Typically, the commission chairman circulates an item for vote three weeks before a meeting. Under the rules of the FCC, meeting agendas are published one week before a vote is scheduled. Once the agenda is published lobbying is banned. The report says that the two-week window allows lobbyist plenty of time to "maximize their impact."'"
Unfortunately, hurting feelings is about the extent of the powers of the GAO from what I understand. They make reports, and that's about it. They don't hold anyone accountable, they just say that someone should be accountable.
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
Personally I hope the merger goes through the NAB has been allowing the airwaves to be filled with festering monkey feces and it's convincing people that $12.00 a month is worth it in droves. Sirius and XM are seeing way more people getting not only a subscription but multiples faster than ever The hip new thing in high-schools is not a new video ipod it's a Sirius or XM portable.
Even the teenagers are sick of the clearchannel 1 song between 15 minute commercials power blocks. also several of the FM stations locally that clearchannel turned into robo radio stations have such low bandwidth mp3's in their playback pool that the stations sound WORSE than the weather channels on XM and sirius.
NAB needs to be disbanded, Clearchannel needs to reap what they sow by being decimated by the satellite offerings. You know that free radio has problems when you can drive people quickly to the pay channels.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Really, there ought to be prosecutions involved. This is malfeasance in office, maybe influence peddling, I don't know. Can any lawyers enlighten us as to what kinds of illegality might be involved here, if any?
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.