On Wednesday the the senator requested that the Government Accountability Office launch an inquiry into the state of media in the U.S. and the impact of media consolidation on independently produced and owned content.
Legislation Dorgan introduced last month that would roll back Federal Communications Commission rules easing restrictions on newspaper and broadcast deals was approved by the Senate on Thursday. It awaits approval by the House of Representatives, which is expected either later this week or sometime in the first half of June.
Dorgan wants the GAO to examine sources of programming on TV and to what extent the Internet has provided an outlet for independent programming. Dorgan also wants the study to examine what extent consumers go to traditional media companies' sites on the Internet.
This isn't the first time Dorgan has sought a GAO study related to media issues. In 2004 Dorgan unsuccessfully sought to bar the FCC from implementing a 2003 series of controversial media merger rules for 12 months while the GAO examined the relationship between media consolidation and broadcast indecency violations. - Ron Orol
As the battle over media consolidation heats up, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., has launched a new anti-consolidation offensive.
