Jimmy Carter vs. the Fairness Doctrine

Paul MatzkoJimmy Carter has lived long enough —and he is the longest living former president by a substantialmargin, with the gap between him and #2, George HW Bush, nearly as wide as that between Bush and #6, Herbert Hoover! —to see the fruits from his sweeping crusade for federal deregulation.Others havediscussed Carter ’slegacy as theGreat Deregulator of airlines, craft beer, trucking, rail, oil and natural gas, and much more. It ’s all true and Carter deserves credit for laying the foundation for the economic prosperity of the 1980s and 1990s.But I  want to focus on an underrated aspect of Carter’s deregulatory campaign: broadcasting. During the Carter years, the Federal Communications Commission under chairman Charles Ferris oversaw an unprecedented degree of broadcasting deregulation that ultimately prepared the way for the rise of cable, satellite, and talk radio.Prior to the mid ‐​1970s, the Federal Communications Commission had taken a cautious approach to disruptive technologies like cable and satellite. In the 1950s, cable broadcasting had been growing rapidly with 40% year over year subscriber growth, especially in areas like Appalachia with poor aerial reception. But by the 1960s, over‐​the‐​air broadcast stations—and the well‐​connected and well‐​heeled television networks owning them—began to worry about the competition. They pushed the FCC intorulemakings in the 1960s and early 1970s that imposed a  variety of must‐​ca...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs