Democrat Says Fairness Doctrine Should Extend to Cable, Satellite TV

(CNSNews.com) - House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) says he’s troubled by a California Democrat’s plan to push for the return – and expansion – of the Fairness Doctrine.

In a newspaper interview on Monday, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said she would work on bringing back the federal regulation that requires equal time for the expression of different political views on the public airwaves.

Boehner and other critics say Democrats want to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine to force an end to conservative talk radio. (While syndicated conservative talk-radio shows have been successful, liberal alternatives have flopped. The Fairness Doctrine would require radio stations to balance the conservative money-makers with liberal duds, something the stations undoubtedly would refuse to do. They would be forced to cancel successful shows touting conservative viewpoints.)