Daily RoadMAP is primarily designed to focus on policy issues, but today’s item is really about principle. Yesterday (Wednesday), more than public interest and civil rights groups, including MAP, joined in a letter calling on members and the FCC to stand firm against the vicious and unfair right wing attacks on Mark Lloyd. Mark is a long-time friend and colleague who has dedicated the last 20 years to promoting diversity and democratic values. It is quite likely that he will be the subject of hostile questions this morning at a House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet oversight hearing. Mark deserves a stalwart defense from members of the subcommittee and the FCC Commissioners who will attend.

Here is the letter:

To: FCC Commissioners and Congressional Leaders

We, the undersigned, ask you to speak out against the falsehoods and misinformation that are threatening to derail important work by Congress and the Federal Communications Commission on media and technology policies that would benefit all Americans.

In recent weeks, Mark Lloyd, the associate general counsel and chief diversity officer of the FCC, has come under attack by prominent cable TV and radio hosts, and even by some members of Congress, who have made false and misleading claims about his work at the agency.

Mr. Lloyd is a respected historian, an experienced civil rights leader, and a dedicated public servant. He was hired by the FCC to “collaborate on the policies and legal framework necessary to expand opportunities for women, minorities, and small businesses to participate in the communications marketplace.” His important work should not be hindered by lies and innuendo.

As the leading media policymakers in Washington, we ask you to speak out against these unfounded attacks, stand publicly behind Mr. Lloyd, and make clear your commitment to carrying out the core mandate of the FCC — as enshrined in the Communications Act of 1934 — to promote localism, diversity and competition in the media.

Let us be clear as to what “localism” actually means. Broadcasters get hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of subsidies in exchange for a basic commitment to serve the public interest. Broadcasters are expected to be responsive to their local communities. Localism has been a cornerstone of broadcast regulation as long as there has been broadcast regulation. It has nothing to do with censorship or interference with local programming decisions. Localism is simply about public service, not about any political viewpoint. Local public service programming and political talk radio, whether liberal or conservative, are not mutually exclusive.

Likewise, as the Supreme Court has recognized, “Safeguarding the public’s right to receive a diversity of views and information over the airwaves is … an integral component of the FCC’s mission.” Diversity of media ownership is a crucial issue, and the agency must address the fact that women and people of color are vastly underrepresented among media owners using the public airwaves.

But diversity is also about closing the digital divide: People of color, the poor, and rural Americans are far less likely to have high-speed Internet access at home or share in the benefits of broadband. Diversity is about creating opportunities and broadening participation; it should go without saying, but it has absolutely nothing to do with censorship.

The third tenet of the FCC’s mission is competition. Those using their media megaphones to slander and distort the views of Mr. Lloyd and others may not want competition. But the FCC’s job, in its own words, is “to strengthen the diverse and robust marketplace of ideas that is essential to our democracy.” The overriding goal must be more speech, not less — more radio stations, more cable channels and more Web sites.

At the core of President Obama’s media and technology agenda is a commitment to “diversity in the ownership of broadcast media” and a pledge to “promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints.” Now is the time to further that agenda, not to retreat from it.

We ask you, as leaders on these key media issues, to draw a line in the sand now, speak out against the unfounded attacks, and redouble your efforts to enact a policy agenda that will strengthen our economy, our society and our democracy.