Fowler play

FOWLER PLAY

YET ANOTHER conservative Reagan appointee is meeting organized resistance, only this time the fight is intramural. A coalition of New right groups seeks to block the renomination of FCC Chairman Mark Fowler, citing his allegiance to a "libertarian agenda." Fowler, who served as communications counsel during Ronald Reagan's 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns, has sought to loosen the hold the Federal Government has on the broadcast industry. "The time has come to treat the electronic media the same as we treat the medium that uses paper and ink," Fowler told the Washington Times in 1985.

But National Decency Forum (NDF) co-chairman Barbara Hattemer says Fowler's penchant for deregulation conflicts with the Federal Government's obligation to police the nation's airwaves. "He has failed completely to uphold decency standards on radio and television," complains Mrs. Hattemer. "His message to the industry is to go ahead and do anything you want." The NDF held a series of demonstrations in front of FCC headquarters this June to protest Fowler's failure to enforce federal statutes prohibiting "indecent" TV and radio broadcasts. Phyllis Schlafly seconds the NDF's complaint, arguing that by failing to enforce obscenity regulations, the FCC encourages independent stations to show "pornography," like uncut R-rated movies, in order to compete with HBO and other cable companies.

Fowler's position on the fairness doctrine (like President Reagan, he's against it) also troubles some conservatives who believe the regulation guarantees conservative access to liberal-dominated media. Bernard Yoh, Accuracy in Media's director of communications, maintains that "the fairness doctrine is not regulation. It widens the First Amendment to a larger group of consumers by giving people without licenses access to the air." Mrs. Schlafly agrees, likening the public acceptance of the fairness doctrine to public acceptance of airline safety regulations.

So far, the White House hasn't officially sent the renomination to the Senate Commerce Committee for confirmation. A spokesman for the FCC says he doesn't know why the nomination is being held up and offers no comment on any allegations against Fowler. In the last few weeks, however, the FCC has begun pressing charges against two California radio stations as a "direct result" of NDF pressure, according to Mrs. Hattemer. One station was airing what the plaintiff called "disgusting" rock lyrics. The other broadcast a show featuring explicit descriptions of gay sex.

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