FCC Relaxes Media Ownership Rules

Thanks to those restrictions, Martin's proposal has also drawn fire from the media industry, where opponents of the ban say the relaxation of the rules is too limited to make much of a difference.

On Monday, 25 senators, including four Republicans, sent Martin a letter threatening pass legislation to revoke the rule and nullify the commission's action. Such legislation is likely doomed, however, since Martin reportedly has the full support of the Bush administration.

"Today's story is a majority decision unconnected to good policy and not even incidentally concerned with encouraging media to make our democracy stronger," said Michael Copps, a Democrat on the commission, in a statement. "We are not concerned with gathering valid data, conducting good research, or following the facts where they lead us."

The last time the FCC tried to reform its media ownership rules, which limit the reach of media chains like Gannett (GCI Quote) and Tribune (TRB Quote), it was successfully sued in court where a judge ruled in 2003 that it hadn't justified its proposed changes.

Similar legal action is expected to follow the commission's latest action.

"The FCC has never attempted such a brazen act of defiance against Congress," said Jonathan Adelstein, the other Democrat on the commission. "Like the Titanic, we are steaming at full speed despite repeated warnings of danger ahead. We should have slowed down rather than put everything at risk."