*bzzzt* Sorry, thanks for playing, but that talking point has been mooted. Included in the stimulus package, introduced by Democrats and passed through the House of Representatives with zero Republican votes, was language specifically stipulating that the FCC may not use any federal funding to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. The only ones talking about the Fairness Doctrine are the head of the Republican Party (Rush Limbaugh) and his die-hard followers. This is political vaporware, much like the oft-touted nonexistent 'Freedom Of Choice Act' that certain anti-abortion groups have been screaming about and does not have the 'exists' bit set.
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Ah, bugger. Wrong bill. It was the D.C. Voting Rights bill, not the stimulus, which was not a pure party-line vote, though it was still primarily Democratic-backed even with this amendment. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/02/senate-bans-fairness-doctrine-revival-87-11.ars
*bzzzt* Sorry, thanks for playing, but that talking point has been mooted. Included in the stimulus package, introduced by Democrats and passed through the House of Representatives with zero Republican votes, was language specifically stipulating that the FCC may not use any federal funding to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. The only ones talking about the Fairness Doctrine are the head of the Republican Party (Rush Limbaugh) and his die-hard followers. This is political vaporware, much like the oft-touted nonexistent 'Freedom Of Choice Act' that certain anti-abortion groups have been screaming about and does not have the 'exists' bit set.