] On Monday the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is ] expected to adopt dramatic rule changes that will extend ] the market dominance of the five media corporations that ] control most of what Americans read, see and hear. I am a ] major shareholder in the largest of those five ] corporations, yet -- speaking only for myself, and not ] for AOL Time Warner -- I oppose these rules. They will ] stifle debate, inhibit new ideas and shut out smaller ] businesses trying to compete. If these rules had been in ] place in 1970, it would have been virtually impossible ] for me to start Turner Broadcasting or, 10 years later, ] to launch CNN. ] If, on Monday, the FCC decides to go the other way, that ] should not be the end of it. Powerful public groups across ] the political spectrum oppose these new rules and are angry ] about their lack of input in the process. People who can't ] make their voices heard in one arena often find ways to ] make them heard in others. Congress has the power to amend ] the rule changes. Members from both parties oppose the new ] rules. This isn't over. |