The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to overturn the FCC's December decision to loosen the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule, even though the White House has threatened to veto the measure. The decision to invalidate the FCC rule passed on a voice vote, with Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), a sponsor of the resolution, saying the vote sent the signal to the FCC to "get things right," according to Broadcasting & Cable.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI), a co-sponsor of the resolution, said he was deeply troubled by the FCC's rule relaxing media cross-ownership. "As corporate ownership over our media grows more concentrated, we see less and less of the diversity of our nation. When programming is the same from coast to coast, our airwaves will no longer reflect the rich mosaic of our country and our citizens," said Inouye.

Adding his vote of approval was FCC commissioner Michael Copps, who has been critical of the Commission's decision. "The Senate spoke for a huge majority of Americans tonight by voting to overturn the flawed FCC decision gutting our long-standing ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership," Copps said, according to B&C. "With courageous leaders like Sen. Byron Dorgan, the Senate has struck a blow for localism and diversity in a media environment crying out for more of both."

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has argued that the rule was a minimal loosening of the ban and was aimed at helping struggling newspapers in big cities by spreading news-gathering costs across multiple media platforms. The resolution now must be voted on by the House before it makes it to President Bush, though he is unlikely to approve it. The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement saying the new FCC rule "furthers the public interest by providing greater financial flexibility to newspaper and broadcast outlets struggling to survive in today's intensely competitive media environment. The Administration supported this FCC action and strongly opposes any attempt to overturn this rule by legislative means."

The National Association of Broadcasters also stands by the FCC policy. NAB EVP Dennis Wharton stated, "NAB strongly opposes efforts to overturn the FCC's exceedingly modest reforms made to media ownership rules. We are hopeful that policymakers ultimately come to fully appreciate the seismic changes in the media landscape over the last three decades, and stand down on this unnecessary proposal."