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Originally Posted by samcol
Well it's approaching a 1st amendment grey area imo. What about when 2 companies own 99% of the media market. Is it still acceptable to say well he can go elseware or start his own company?
When corporations use government as a vehicle to monopolize (FCC , lobbying, etc. making it hard if not impossible to start new media outlets), does the government not have the responsibility to protect speech and other rights?
Believe me, I'm all for hiring and firing at whim, but as soon as government overegulates and industry it becomes a whole different ballgame. When you have access to only one cable TV company due to contracts with the local government, doesn't that local government have the responsibility to ensure quality?
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I think the quality is mandated by contract with the local governmental authority. Some county in MD just sued Cox or someone because their customer service was well below the standard set in their agreement with the government. I don't really think that government regulation of content follows. After all, how would NBC and CBS be in a position to compete for market share if they can't control their content?
The fact that the FCC can fine a station for obscene content implies that the stations are responsible for what they air. They can pay the fine and continue to show the content, or they can choose to manage their content in their own practice. This practice of fining also suggests that stations have a responsibility to manage the content they broadcast. CBS may very well be looking out for their own interests in this case.