House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., wants...

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., wants a bill to end any possibility of the FCC resuming its Critical Information Needs study, he said in a press release Tuesday (http://1.usa.gov/MrukAA). House Republicans had for weeks questioned the design of the study, which originally included questioning of media organizations, saying they feared it would be a revival of the Fairness Doctrine. The FCC suspended the study last week and said it would no longer question any journalists. “It took nearly 25 years to get the Fairness Doctrine off the books once it had been ‘eliminated’ in 1987, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure this study or any other effort by the government to control the output of America’s newsrooms never sees the light of day,” Walden said. The subcommittee plans a hearing on the issue in addition to developing legislation, he said.