Why Are Some Radio Operators Worried? Lloyd has espoused some ideas which make some radio operators nervous because they include monitoring radio station content for political purposes and using fines and fees to control them. The Augusta Chronicle says: "The fear is that Lloyd wants to institute draconian fines on stations that fail to meet the government's standards on diversity of opinion and other things -- and that those fines would be turned over to public broadcasting, which Lloyd is said to favor."
What is Localism? Many say this is "code" for a new version of "The Fairness Doctrine". A post by Lee Y. at gather.com says: "Mark Lloyd is going to try to bring back what they call localism...diversity whatever; but is actually the fairness doctrine in disguise."
According to a news story at foxnews.com: "The FCC's new chief diversity officer laid out a battle plan two years ago [2007] for liberal activists to target conservative talk radio stations, and critics say they are concerned that he now will want to bring back the 'Fairness Doctrine.'"
Mark Lloyd's Background: Lloyd was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress where he focused on communication policy and issues.
From 2002 until 2004 he was a Martin Luther King, Jr. visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 1997 he co-founded the Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, a non-profit project that advocates bringing civil rights principles to communications policy.
