Freedom to Listen

There is a growing clamor by liberal members of Congress to reinstate the effect of the Fairness Doctrine (rescinded by Ronald Reagan in 1987) by either congressional action or regulation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Fairness Doctrine, more aptly described as the Censorship Doctrine, would infringe upon the American people's opportunity to listen to commentary and news of their choice on the radio.

Without a staunch defense of this basic American freedom, all other constitutionally protected liberties, for which our brave men and women have fought and died, will be put at risk. The American Civil Rights Union, through this campaign, will expose, illuminate and fight any and all efforts to take away our Freedom to Listen.

Click image below to hear Former Attorney General Ed Meese on the issue.

Ken Blackwell

ACRU Senior Fellow Ken Blackwell is the National Spokesman for Freedom to Listen.

“[C]onsolidation continues to choke the life blood out of localism … It degenerates diversity, denies minorities and women and diminishes our already distort ... more

6/18/10: FCC releases new spectrum (From Inside Radio) - Looking to alleviate some of the growing spectrum shortage crisis, the FCC has announced a plan to open new spectrum for mobile broadband development. The Commission’s goal is to make 500 MHz of new spectrum available for Wi-Fi services by 2020. That includes a plan to get TV stations to voluntarily return some of what they’re using. more

6/18/10: FCC in move to regulate internet - The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday took its first formal step towards the adoption of new regulations for the broadband industry, setting the stage for what could become one of the most expensive lobbying campaigns to hit Capitol Hill by major telecommunications and cable providers. more

6/01/10: Groups want FCC to police hate speech on talk radio, cable news networks - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is being urged to monitor "hate speech" on talk radio and cable broadcast networks. A coalition of more than 30 organizations argue in a letter to the FCC that the Internet has made it harder for the public to separate the facts from bigotry masquerading as news. more

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