by Dennis Aubuchon

Created on: April 25, 2009

The language of the first amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

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Freedom of speech is one of the important rights of many we have in this country and our founding fathers were intelligent enough to know that this right needed to be protected. This is why this amendment was created. We have a right to our own opinion on issues and the right to express them. One thing freedom of speech does not permit with justification is libel and slander. To distinguish between these two words the definition of them are provided below from www.dictionary.com.

Libel definition by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than spoken words or gestures.

Slander defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.

As identified above the difference between slander and libel is the manner in which it is presented. Free speech as identified under the 1st Amendment is important to the fabric and function of our society. I commend the efforts of those who are proposing changes in the law to prevent the use of the Fairness Doctrine as it would be enforced under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This effort is through the Broadcasters Freedom Act of 2009. To further discuss the FCC it is important to identify current responsibilities as covered under the law.
To begin with the Federal Communications Commission is an important department with an important function which monitors and establishes rules and/or regulations within its jurisdiction.
The function of this commission is not an easy one in today's economy. The increase in technology offers countless more ways to communicate than when the commission was first established.
The Federal Communications Act of 1934 was amended in 1996 and brought major changes. The intention of this act is to provide for the regulation of interstate and foreign communication by wire, radio, and for other purposes. The general provision under Title 1 section 1 states the following:

"For the purpose of regulating interstate and foreign commerce in communication by wire and
radio so as to make available, so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without
discrimination on the

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