MIAMI, Nov.

Madison, WI - In the wake of widespread public concern about media concentration, more than 1,300 activists, lawmakers and leaders of consumer, civil rights and labor groups from around the country began meeting here today at the National Conference on Media Reform to discuss ways to promote communications policies that better represent the public interest.

The conference, held at the Unive

(Washington, DC) - In a bipartisan 55-40 vote, the Senate today rolled back highly contentious Federal Communications Commission rules that would allow major media conglomerates to own an even larger percentage of the nation's media and permit cross-ownership of newspapers and TV stations in most communities.

(Washington, DC) — Today, Senators Trent Lott (R-MS) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced new bipartisan opposition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules that allow further concentration of media ownership. The Senators' announcement comes as the Senate debates a Resolution of Disapproval, sponsored by the pair, which would repeal all of the new FCC rules.

Faced with a national outcry so intense that Congress is moving to reverse his attempt to eliminate controls on media consolidation and monopoly, Federal Communications Commission chair Michael Powell's new localism initiative is an eleventh hour attempt to avoid a Congressional rollback of his recent media ownership rule changes.

Today the House overwhelmingly passed the Commerce Justice State appropriations bill. This represents a tremendous victory for the broad coalition working for a roll back of the FCC media ownership rule changes.

Common Cause and Free Press, two groups that have worked together in recent months to make an issue of the impact of media ownership decisions on American democracy, applaud today's actions of the Senate Commerce Committee in approving bipartisan legislation that will roll back the Federal Communications Commission's June 2 vote that relaxed media ownership rules.

"The Commerce Committee's

Washington, DC — Common Cause, MoveOn.org and Free Press today condemned the FCC's 3-2 vote in favor of relaxing media ownership rules that favor corporate monopolies at the expense of local news outlets and diversity.

WASHINGTON -- In a roundtable discussion on broadband stimulus at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott proposed that policymakers attach strict open Internet conditions to taxpayer-funded networks.

WASHINGTON -- Free Press and the Tyndall Report are teaming up to give thousands of Americans a chance to instantly rate the media's performance during the four upcoming debates. Using the "Citizens Media Scorecard," viewers across the country will provide real-time feedback on how well the moderators' questions reflect the priorities of the nation.