Public Interest Obligations in the 21st Century: Where Do We Go from Here?

Amid the many controversial FCC decisions last December, Chairman Martin's FCC announced an important victory for the Public Interest Public Airwaves Coalition (PIPAC), requiring broadcasters to enhance their disclosure of programming responsive to the community. 

United Church of Christ, OC Inc. has a long and hallowed history of holding local broadcasters accountable to the communities they serve.  OC Inc. looks forward to the day when ordinary citizens can do the same without hiring a host of experts from Washington, DC to do so. 

While the UCC has often been successful in its work to ensure broadcasters live up to their potential and their obligations, that work is always more difficult because of the lack of information about broadcasters' programming.  For a responsible citizen to evaluate a broadcaster and file at the Federal Communications Commission requires more than individuals' passing exposure to a particular station.  To provide an accurate view, a more comprehensive set of information is needed. 

Communities of faith are known for being extraordinarily active in civic affairs.  But the faith community and the issues we care about are often left out of the picture on local television.  With additional information, the faith community can engage in a more thoughtful dialog with broadcasters.

The FCC's order goes a long way toward giving the public the information necessary to evaluate its service to the community.  We look forward to working with broadcasters as they implement this order, and working with the FCC to ensure that the promise of this order lives up to its potential.

The United Church of Christ is a faith community rooted in justice that recognizes the unique power of the media to shape public understanding and thus society.  For this reason, UCC's Office of Communication, Inc. (OC, Inc.) works to create just and equitable media structures that give meaningful voice to diverse peoples, cultures and ideas.  Established in 1959, OC Inc. ultimately established the right of all citizens to participate at the Federal Communications Commission as part of its efforts to ensure a television broadcaster in Jackson, MS served its African-American viewers during the civil rights movement. 

The Cleveland-based United Church of Christ has 5,700 local congregations across the United States.  It was formed by the 1957 union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church.