The FCC Won't Let Me Be.

Since its establishment in 1934, the Federal Communications Commission has been a prominent figure in the field of telecommunications’ policy. But what exactly is it and what it’s authority. Several misconceptions may arise when discussing this entity. My intent is to shed some light on the topic at hand. By understanding what is the FCC, what it does, and its effect on the media, we can further clarify the issue.

The presenter before me spoke about the Patriot Act and mainly touched on the privacy vs. security debate. Her emphasis on the government’s observation of our telecommunication activities was great reminder of the questionable policies in place. The final presentation about the Federal Trade Commission was quite an eye opener as well. The speaker general thesis reflected on our nation’s role in determining the legality of advertising. All of the topics helped further answer the question: Who controls the media?

Ultimately, there is no exact answer. It would be impossible to delegate the percentages of the media influenced by the government, corporations, and ordinary citizens. Despite some of the “Draconian” elements of policy conveyed this week, the government merely edits the final product to a certain degree. To avoid the defeatist stance of believing “Big Brother” tells us what to think; I strongly believe it is the people who control the media the most. We are the ones with the power to determine the government officials or to consume certain types of media.

We have the power to affect the world around us. What exactly is the future of the FCC? I believe that Americans will become even more socially liberal thus resulting in less of a need for the entities like this. Also media outlets will begin to self-monitor more. Ultimately, this committee will drift further into the role of spectator and gradually lose its authority.

Thank you for your time.

(Corey Green)