A group of 22 public interest watchdogs want the public interest to be taken into account when Congress gets around to its update of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. The coalition said, "Telecommunications legislation has for too long been negotiated behind closed doors with key industry heavyweights and major media conglomerates, which spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaign contributions and lobbying in Washington. The last major telecommunications bill enacted in 1996 largely reflected their priorities, and did not respond to the needs of the public. Since then, cable rates surged by more than 50 percent, local phone rates went up by 20 percent, and scores of media companies merged, denying consumers choice and competition, and depriving our democracy of diverse viewpoints. These mistakes should not be repeated." The coalition is calling for "...an open and transparent legislative process that involves the public in meaningful ways."

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Legislative laundry list:

As it begins consideration of telecommunications reform legislation, Congress should make telecommunications policy based on a number of core values:

* Equal access, regardless of race, income, ethnicity or location, to affordable, advanced telecommunications technologies;

* The importance of ensuring that franchising agreements protect consumers, extend the benefits of competition to underserved communities, provide adequate compensation to local governments for use of public resources, provide for public access media, and flexibly address community needs;

* The right of local governments to use broadband technology to serve their residents, particularly those with low incomes or in rural areas;

* Enforceable guarantees that network owners will not interfere with content transmitted over the network or discriminate against any device, application or program run on the network;

* Enforceable guarantees that unaffiliated, independent video programmers will have access to video platforms;

* Locally owned, independent media outlets that provide a diversity of viewpoints;

* Expanded allocation of valuable public airwaves for shared, open use by local communities, commercial innovators and individual citizens.

Coalition member organizations:

Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME)

Alliance for Community Media

Benton Foundation

CCTV Center for Media and Democracy

Center for Creative Voices in Media

Center for Digital Democracy

Chicago Media Action

Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting

Common Cause

Consumer Federation of America

Consumers Union

Free Press

Future of Music Coalition

Media Access Project

Media Alliance

Media Tank

National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors

National Hispanic Media Coalition

New America Foundation

Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc

Reclaim the Media

U.S. Public Interest Research Group