Today marks the deadline for comments on the Federal Communication Commission’s Examination of the Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age, a task force dedicated to solving the crisis in the media. The shift to online news consumption has led to falling revenue, major lay-offs, cuts in coverage, and serious questions about the future of journalism.
Policy Integrity submitted comments arguing that the goal of media policy should be to maximize net economic benefits for American consumers. There are significant market failures facing the media. Among the options to address these issues are network neutrality regulations and increased government support for public media.
Both options help address the fact that much of the information produced by mass media is a “public good” that positive economic benefits for all Americans