IMPORTANT MESSAGE ON FCC VOTE FROM MOVEON.ORG!!

[Gloria]

NOTE: here is the 800 for the Capitol switchboard...
1-800-648-3516 ...just ask for the office you want


Dear MoveOn member,

In the last 48 hours, over 200,000 people have called on the Senate to
roll back the FCC rule change. Four months ago, most people would
have placed the likelihood that Congress would roll back the rule
change at near zero. When I talk to folks in the media reform movement,
they give enormous credit to the phone calls and emails that MoveOn
members have sent. The momentum we have on this issue is largely due
to your involvement.

Phone calls work, and that's why we need you to make one today. On
Monday, the Senate will likely vote on a "resolution of disapproval"
to turn back the rule change. It's not the final vote, but if we lose
it, we likely lose the most important parts of the rollback. The
vote could be 50-50 -- every Senator, and every phone call, helps.

Please call your Senators at:

Senator Pete V. Domenici
DC Phone: [phone]

Senator Jeff Bingaman
DC Phone: [phone]

Tell them that you want them to vote for the resolution of disapproval
that will nullify the FCC media ownership rule changes. Be friendly,
professional, and let them know why the issue matters to you.

You might mention that:

* A diverse and competitive media is critical for a functional
democracy.

* The new rule change will mean less reporters on the ground in
many communities. This will decrease the quality and quantity
of local news.

* Your Senator's responsibility is to his or her constituents, not
corporate lobbyists. The FCC rule change is not in the public
interest.

Then please let us know you've called at:
http://moveon.org/callmade4.html?id=1648-1306410-GSEewKLFhmVuBvCXlIpEYw

The situation on Capitol Hill on this issue right now is very fluid.
While on Monday, our friends in the Senate told us that the whole FCC
rule change vote would come down to this week, we now know that it
could be a few weeks before we see the very final vote. That's not a
bad thing -- more time for us to make our case that America supports a
diverse and competitive media and build the grassroots uproar.

Tomorrow, advocates for many of the groups working on this issue will
be lugging the thousands of pages of comments you've sent to Senate
offices at the Capitol. Your comments give them great credibility.

We're still planning on holding a press conference to highlight the
FCC petition -- with over 300,000 people involved, our FCC campaign is
one of our largest advocacy campaigns ever. We'll time that to have
the maximum impact on the final vote. But in the mean time, we need
to impress upon the Senate how concerned people are about this issue.
Please pick up the phone and give your Senator a call today.

Thank you for being a part of the biggest media reform movement in
decades.

Sincerely,
--Eli Pariser
MoveOn.org
September 10th, 2003

P.S. Here's some background on the vote on Monday, from Free Press:

Background: "CRA" Resolution of Disapproval

Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), and co-sponsors Trent Lott (R-Miss.),
Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.) and presidential candidate John F. Kerry
(D-Mass.), introduced the rarely-used CRA to roll back all of the
rules passed on June 2 by the FCC.

Senator Dorgan said, "We are moving to roll back one of the most
complete cave-ins to corporate interests I've ever seen by what is
supposed to be a federal regulatory agency."

The measure would require a simple majority of the Senate for passage.
If it is approved by the Senate, it moves directly to the House
calendar, bypassing powerful committees, such as those headed by Rep.
W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.), whose members have vowed to block
attempts to overturn the FCC's rules. The CRA would be difficult to
pass in the House, but it’s success in the Senate will determine the
success of other FCC rollback legislation coming to the Senate floor
later this month.

The Congressional Review Act of 1996 gives Congress 60 session days to
review and, if it chooses, reject an agency’s rule. A resolution of
disapproval is introduced under special expedited procedures, and
Senate filibusters are banned. The President can veto it.

If the motion to disapprove passes in both the House and Senate, and
is then signed by the President, the rule essentially disappears. Even
if it has already taken effect, the agency (in this case, the FCC)
that issued it can no longer enforce the regulation or defend it in
court. Furthermore, the agency is banned from pushing a similar
version of the rule at a later date.

For more information on the rollback and media reform efforts, go to
http://www.mediareform.net

________________

[kayleybeth]

1. Done!

Thanks for the heads up :)

[hippywife]

2. Also done!

Earlier today! :)

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

3. kick

:dem: