• Ad Age, Monday, July 2, 2007 10:30 AM

The House of Representatives has voted to bar any attempt by the Federal Communications Commission to bring back the "fairness doctrine," which used to require broadcasters to balance opposing views on controversial issues. The vote -- 309 to 115 - was on an unrelated appropriations bill amended to put a ban on the use of government spending to revive the doctrine.

It was passed with strong Republican supports and while Democrats admit they are concerned about the ideological skew of talk radio, they say there were no moves to resurrect the doctrine. "It's long since gone by the board because of court decisions and various FCC decisions," says House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, who accepted the amendment.

The Wisconsin Democrat then watched as conservatives rose to praise it, commenting that it was a "political exercise" to assuage fears coming from "talk radio and yap, yap TV."

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