We were very pleasantly surprised to learn that the FCC's newest commissioner, Robert McDowell, is planning to attend a town hall meeting on media ownership in Columbus, Ohio next week.

FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have been holding a series of these town hall sessions all around the country over the past several months. They are not official FCC hearings, but offer a great opportunity for average folks to voice their feelings about the important issue of media ownership.

In the past, only Copps and Adelstein have been at the sessions. McDowell's decision to attend the next one means that a majority of the agency's five commissioners will be present for the first time.

We commend McDowell for joining Copps and Adelstein in venturing outside the Beltway to hear what people feel about this vital issue. This is democracy at its best.

It would be great if FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioner Deborah Tate would also show up in Columbus and any future town hall meetings on media ownership. Everyone would benefit.

Martin and Tate have attended three official FCC public hearings on media ownership in recent months held in Los Angeles, Nashville and Harrisburg. Those hearings are much more formal than the town hall meetings, however. They have featured panels of experts picked by the FCC, followed by two minute statements from members of the the public who have signed up.

You can get details on the Columbus town hall meeting by clicking here.