Final answer:
Technological changes have led to the elimination of the fairness doctrine and have influenced the ongoing net neutrality debate. These developments have transformed media regulation and access, impacting how fairness in media coverage is achieved in the digital era.
Step-by-step explanation:
Technological changes have had a significant impact on the fairness doctrine, a policy established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1949. This policy mandated that holders of broadcast licenses had to present controversial issues of public importance in a balanced and equitable manner, providing time for opposing views. However, with the advent of new media technologies and shifts in regulatory philosophies, the fairness doctrine was eliminated by the FCC in 1987, arguing that it limited debate and placed the government in an editorial role.
Changes such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 further deregulated the media industry, allowing for greater media consolidation and reducing competition. With the growth of the internet and social media platforms, the landscape of content distribution and consumption has drastically evolved. The net neutrality debate is one of the latest fronts in the ongoing discussion about fairness and access in the digital age. Net neutrality rules required ISPs to provide equal access to online services without prioritizing or throttling certain content, but these regulations were contested and ultimately repealed during the Trump Administration, potentially leading to a more segmented and less open internet.
The concept of fairness in media coverage remains a heavily debated topic, with technological advances creating both opportunities for wider dissemination of views and challenges in ensuring equitable access and representation across the diverse media landscape.