Let's review. The FCC last year proposed to makeTV joint sales agreements of more than 15% of ad sales attributable as ownership interest. Senate Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) then asked the Government Accountability Office to study TV station sharing arrangements, given that there were "serious questions" raised about the impact of those and other sharing arrangements. Yes there were-including whether JSAs might be beneficial, and whether the FCC was basing its decision on a gut feeling or on actual facts. The GAO last week came out with its report, which essentially did not answer those questions. That was primarily because the GAO claimed the FCC does not have enough data to determine whether or not its current or future policies toward station-sharing arrangements actually serve the public interest, a shortfall that could undermine its goals. (The commission has recently moved to limit those arrangements in some circumstances.)
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