Testimony presented in response to proposed changes in FCC media ownership regulations:

   Thank you for hearing us out today. My name is Robert Zverina. I was born in New York state,
in a small town called Liberty -- which was fitting because my parents were immigrants who came
to the United States seeking freedom.
   They came here in 1968 as political refugees from Czechoslovakia, which at that time was a
terrible place.
   It was a country where the government arrested and detained people without cause, evidence,
or charges.
   Where prisoners were held indefinitely, denied legal counsel, and tortured.
   It was a place where even the most blameless citizens were spied on -- phone lines tapped, private
correspondence intercepted, and personal records scrutinized without warrant.
   And of course, all of these nefarious activities were buttressed by a complicit, monolithic media
network which served to promote, protect, and perpetuate a tiny minority's prerogatives of power
and privilege.
   My parents are no longer alive, and in a way I'm glad, because it would break their hearts to see
their beloved America subject today to these same abuses of authority.
   But unlike Soviet Czechoslovakia, we still have some -- not much, but some -- diversity in media
ownership. You commissioners are faced with a monumental choice and I hope you will do some
deep soul-searching before deciding.
   A plurality of voices is the very definition of democracy. It is imperative that you say NO to to
further consolidation. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of the American people and the ideals
on which this great country was founded. Thank you.

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