At Free Press we often say that one of our central goals is to give the public a seat at the table in the policy debates that shape our media. Everything we do from online petitions and D.C. lobbying to organizing hearings and in-district meetings is an effort to insert the public’s voice into media policy. Today we put that goal into action in perhaps the most literal sense.

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps joined 40 people for a roundtable discussion on media policy. It was a wide-ranging discussion that touched on issues such as broadcast license renewals, community access television, and the future of the Internet. Members of the public probed the commissioner for ideas and strategies to make change in their communities and discussed future directions for media advocates. Commissioner Copps gave participants a preview of an exciting new plan for moving media reform from defense to offense. However - you’ll have to tune in to the Saturday night rally to hear his plan.

In an article on salon.com published last December -- two weeks before the FCC vote that lifted the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership ban -- Commissioner Copps said that he didn’t want to be called a crusader. However, it’s fair to say that since he was sworn in 2001, he has been helping to lead the charge against media consolidation. Indeed, it was the series of public hearings that he and Commissioner Adelstein launched -- with no support or budget from the FCC -- in 2002 and 2003 that laid the foundation for the incredible groundswell of activism that culminated in nearly 3 million letters, a Senate Resolution of Disapproval and ultimately the Prometheus Court Decision that sent the FCC back to the drawing board. Instead of a crusader, perhaps we should call Commissioner Copps a catalyst, igniting the passions of the American people for media reform.

The hearings that Commissioner Copps has been a part of are just one example of what makes him a unique figure in Washington, D.C. A nearly 40-year veteran of D.C. politics, Commissioner Copps has an unwavering belief in the wisdom of the people and a commitment to listen to their stories. Today’s roundtable was another example of that commitment.