The Federal Communications Commission today disclosed the launching of ten new studies on media ownership. Within hours the agency's two Democrats denounced the move.

"Today's announcement of the Commission's new media ownership studies, unfortunately, raises more questions in the public's mind than it answers," Commissioner Michael Copps declared. "How were the contractors selected for the outside projects? How much money is being spent on each project - and on the projects collectively? What kind of peer review process is envisioned?"

Shortly after Copps' remarks, his colleague Jonathan Adelstein released a similar statement.

"Today's unilateral release of this Public Notice on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday ultimately undermines the public's confidence by raising more questions than it answers," Adelstein said in comments distributed to reporters. "The descriptions of the studies are scant, lacking any sense of the Commission's expectations for scope, proposed methodology and data sources. In certain instances, the truncated period of time to complete the studies is an ingredient for a study that doesn't engender public faith and confidence."

When the FCC launched its latest proceeding on its media ownership rules in June, the agency promised six public hearings and a series of studies on the controversial issue. The Commission dramatically relaxed its media ownership guidelines in 2003, only to see most the new rules overturned by a Federal court in 2004.

The studies announced today will include a review of how people get their news and information, several studies on the ownership structure of media, a review of the size and scope of news operations in the United States, a survey of the impact of ownership structure on radio programming, several studies on the state of minority ownership, and an analysis of vertical integration in the media industry.

Most of the studies will be written by FCC staff and outside academics. The Nielson media research company will conduct the survey on how people get their news.

It is unclear from today's public statements whether Copps and Adelstein were consulted about these new research projects.

The latest controversy follows accusations by Senator Barbara Boxer in September that the FCC suppressed several studies that reveal that locally owned TV stations provide more local news, and that radio station ownership has become much more consolidated since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which made it easier for companies to buy radio stations.

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