FCC kills off fair broadcasting rules

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week officially purged the Fairness Doctrine from its books, as part of 83 'outdated and obsolete' media rules, according to PC Mag.

The FCC also said it would delete obsolete 'broadcast flag' rules, as well as outdated rules governing cable programming rates, as well as broadcast applications and proceedings rules.

“The elimination of the obsolete Fairness Doctrine regulations will remove an unnecessary distraction,” Television Broadcast quotes FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski as saying in a statement.

“As I have said, striking this from our books ensures there can be no mistake that what has long been a dead letter remains dead. The Fairness Doctrine holds the potential to chill free speech and the free flow of ideas and was properly abandoned over two decades ago.”

According to the Washington Journal, the doctrine began in 1949 and required broadcasters to give equal time to all sides of a political issue, or put their broadcast license in jeopardy.

The Reagan FCC stopped enforcing it in 1987, and liberals have since tried to resurrect it numerous times as a way to hush Rush Limbaugh, or save the now-defunct Air America.

As recently as 2007, Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry told WNYC radio that the doctrine should return because conservatives have been able to “squeeze out opinion of opposing views.”