The Federal Communications Commission has announced a new initiative on the "Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age," a wide ranging investigation into the media needs of communities and the potential government role in helping meet those needs.

If you could give your local media a grade, what would it be? Does the evening news showcase any real news? Has your local newspaper been gutted by layoffs? Does your local television station cover issues of concern to you? Is there a great Web site trying to fill in the gaps?

The FCC wants to know. They want to hear from people like you before they submit a national report card to the White House. Now is your chance to tell Washington how your local media is doing. The deadline is May 7th, 2010.

Never before has the agency undertaken such a holistic look at our media system, weaving together public media, journalism, media ownership, and internet policy. It calls on citizens to report on the full extent of their local media and imagine what a better media system might look like. The Future of Media project at the FCC is our opportunity to envision the media we want to see.

How to get involved

The FCC’s announcement is a whopping 11 pages long and includes more than 40 detailed questions on which they are seeking feedback. Download our 2 page summary with a list of issues the FCC wants to know about.

The FCC has provided a variety of ways to participate in this project, and all contributions will be made part of the public record and accounted for in the report they are creating. You can comment on blog posts, weigh in using one of the sites forums, or submit longer formal documents via the formal electronic comment submission tool( Be sure to reference GN Docket No. 10-25).

Want to discuss these issues or need help filing your comments?
Contact: Candace Clement at Free Press, 413-585-1533 x203 (cclement@freepress.net)