James Plummer

In the following viewpoint, James Plummer opposes a July 1996 agreement between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and television broadcasters that requires broadcasters to air three hours of educational programming a week. He contends that broadcasters will follow the letter of the agreement but will not produce good shows. Furthermore, according to Plummer, broadcasters are likely to demand free access to large portions of the broadcast spectrum in return for agreeing to the plan. Plummer is a policy analyst at Consumer Alert, a Washington-based free-market consumer group.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the author, who will decide what is and what is not educational under the new agreement?
2. What evidence does the author give that this plan will actually result in less choice of programming for parents...