Senate Votes to Ban So-Called 'Fairness Doctrine'

But the House needs to do the same, and Obama would have to sign it...

The Senate voted Thursday 87-11 to prevent the FCC from reinstating the fairness doctrine, not that the FCC had indicated plans to do so.

The vote was on an amendment, itself amended, to an unrelated bill, the D.C. Voting Rights Act.

For that vote to block fairness reimposition to stand, the Voting Rights Act needs to pass in the Senate and the fairness amendment would have so survive a conference process with the House version.

The Broadcaster Freedom Act, introduced by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), could initially have also prevented the commission from taking some proposed steps to bolster localism, including setting up advisory boards to give broadcasters guidance on public interest programming.

Those have been criticized by some Republicans as a back-door attempt to reinstate the doctrine.
BroadcastingCable.com

Fairness/Censorship Doctrine Loses Support

These findings are a dramatic nine-point drop-off in support for the Fairness Doctrine from a survey last August when 47% said the government should require all radio and television stations to offer balanced political commentary.
Rasmussen Reports

Democrat Wants Fairness Doctrine to Censor Non-Public Airwaves Too

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California, is talking about not only bringing back the Fairness Doctrine, but somehow, in some constitutionally dubious way, applying it to forms of communication that do not include public airwaves — i.e., cable and satellite programming.

It is worth remembering, at moments like these, that Obama has said he opposes reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. It is also worth remembering, at moments like these, that all statements from Barack Obama come with an expiration date. All of them.
Campaign Spot

Citizens Ask Obama Tougher Questions Than Media