Public Interest Obligations
Media owners should not only deal fairly with their audiences, but should go the extra mile to serve their communities. FCC licensees bear certain legal obligations in this regard — such as public file obligations, or children’s TV requirements, and the other obligations stemming from the public interest standard under Title III of the Communications Act.
Many broadcasters say that certain public interest requirements violate their First Amendment rights as speakers, but MAP often disagrees with this view. After all, the airwaves, or “spectrum,” are a limited, very valuable public resource! Indeed, the Supreme Court has supported and reaffirmed this rationale in every single case where it has been challenged since the landmark case Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC. Broadcasters volunteer to use this scarce natural resource, they are fully aware of the associated public interest requirements, and they still make very healthy profits.
