On June 15, the New America Foundation hosted an event discussing the Federal Communications Commission report “Information Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age.” The report, released June 9 by the FCC Working Group on the Information Needs of Communities, provides an in-depth snapshot of the current state of U.S. media and makes policy recommendations based on an analysis of more than 600 interviews, thousands of public comments, and several workshops and site visits.

Approximately 80 people gathered at New America's Washington, D.C., headquarters to hear the featured speakers, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and Ted Koppel, senior news analyst at National Public Radio. Introductions were made by Steve Coll, president of the New America Foundation. Discussion centered largely around a substantial disparity between the insightful analysis presented in the first part of the report and the timidity of the suggestions made in the latter portion. Speakers and audience members also focused on the lack of meaningful action by the FCC to regulate broadcasters and spur public interest programming, as well as the continuing erosion of dedicated reporting resources during the digital transition.