WASHINGTON D.C. - Just days following the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear the Federal Communications Commission's appeal of its overturned media ownership rules, The Progress & Freedom Foundation will host a spirited debate on the subject. Media ownership regulation is the subject of Media Myths: Making Sense of the Debate Over Media Ownership, a new book by PFF Senior Editor Adam Thierer, and he and former FCC Commissioner Susan Ness will discuss the future of media ownership rules, both at the FCC and in Congress, June 24 at the National Press Club.

The media ownership debate has been heated the last two years, as the FCC attempted to revise their rules to reflect a growing and decentralized media marketplace. The battle then was fought in Congress and finally the courts, with the FCC's new rules eventually being overturned. The High Court's decision Monday not to hear the agency's appeal came just before Viacom announced it was splitting into two separate companies, part of a new deconsolidation trend in the media industry.

The PFF forum runs from 10 a.m. to noon, and will be at the National Press Club in the Holeman Lounge. Those interested in attending can register online. Questions should be directed to Eileen Goulding at 202-289-8928 or egoulding@pff.org. Media should direct their questions to Patrick Ross at 202-289-8928 or pross@pff.org.

Thierer, director of PFF's Center for Digital Media Freedom, challenges head-on media critics and their claims that we live in a world of a media monopoly. "Contrary to what some media critics claim, to the extent there was ever a 'Golden Age' of media in America, we are living in it today," he argues in Media Myths. The bound book is available for purchase from PFF, and a PDF version of it is available on the PFF web site under a Creative Commons license.

Ness served as an FCC commissioner from 1994 to 2001. She was chosen as one of four 1999 recipients of the International Radio and Television Society Foundation Award and received the Consumer Electronics Association 2000 Digital Television Leadership Award. Ness also served as the FCC's senior representative at the 1995, 1997, and 2000 World Radiocommunication Conferences.

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.