400,000 Petition Pelosi, Reid for Vote on Broadcaster Freedom Act

Today the Media Research Center’s Free Speech Alliance (FSA) will deliver nearly 400,000 petitions – combined with thousands of calls and faxes - to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging them to allow a full, fair stand-alone floor vote on the Broadcaster Freedom Act (BFA).

"Free speech on the radio airwaves remains in peril so long as the FCC is just a 3-2 vote away from reinstating the mis-named 'Fairness' Doctrine," MRC President Brent Bozell argued in a June 1 statement. What's more, the doctrine "remains a threat to free speech as long as elected officials like Pelosi and Reid... refuse to give the Broadcaster Freedom Act a vote."

The  Free Speech Alliance (www.FreeSpeechAlliance.us) is made up of sixty-seven (67) organizations representing millions of Americans dedicated to defending free speech against a return of the Censorship Doctrine or any other assault on the First Amendment and talk radio. National talk show hosts Lars Larson and Rusty Humphries have also been heavily involved in the petition effort. 

The full June 1 press release is posted below:

Nearly 400,000 Petitions, Thousands of Calls and Faxes to Pelosi, Reid to Demand A Vote on the Broadcaster Freedom Act
MRC's Free Speech Alliance launches latest grassroots campaign to protect free speech on the radio airwaves  

Alexandria, VA – Today the Media Research Center’s Free Speech Alliance (FSA) will deliver nearly 400,000 petitions – combined with thousands of calls and faxes - to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging them to allow a full, fair stand-alone floor vote on the Broadcaster Freedom Act (BFA).

The BFA would prevent the Federal Communication Commission (FCC)’s from re-imposing the anti-First Amendment so-called “Fairness” Doctrine.

This is all part of a multi-faceted, week-long national grassroots initiative.  Many of the sixty-seven FSA member organizations are participating, rallying their members to telephone the offices of Speaker Pelosi and Senate Leader Reid Monday through Thursday of this week.  Clear Channel Communications, which owns and operates more than 300 talk radio stations in the U.S., has been drumming up support among their listeners for two weeks.  National talk hosts Lars Larson and Rusty Humphries are also heavily involved.  

The petition is available online at www.FreeSpeechAlliance.us

Brent Bozell, President of the Media Research Center and founder of the Free Speech Alliance:

“Will House Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid refuse to allow the Broadcaster Freedom Act to be put to a vote even after hearing this week from hundreds of thousands of Americans who demand the protections of the First Amendment be applied to talk radio?  Are they that afraid to have every member of Congress go on the record as being either for free speech or for the so-called ‘Fairness’ Doctrine?  Or are they that intent on seeing the Doctrine’s reimposition?

“Free speech on the radio airwaves remains in peril so long as the FCC is just a 3-2 vote away from reinstating the mis-named ‘Fairness’ Doctrine.  And the Doctrine remains a threat to free speech as long as elected officials like Pelosi and Reid – who have expressed their desire to see its reimposition – refuse to give the Broadcaster Freedom Act a vote.

“The so-called ‘Fairness’ Doctrine is an act of government censorship, better suited for Hugo Chavez and Venezuela.  Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid, do you support the First Amendment or government censorship?”

The MRC’s Free Speech Alliance (www.FreeSpeechAlliance.us) is made up of sixty-seven (67) organizations representing millions of Americans dedicated to defending free speech against a return of the Censorship Doctrine or any other assault on the First Amendment and talk radio.