The FCC is about to launch a study to determine whether all Americans have access to news and information, regardless of their location, ethnicity, financial resources or any other relevant factor. In doing so, he commission will be casting an eye outside of its usual sphere -- broadcasting -- and encompassing newspapers and the Internet as well. Acting Chairman Mignon Clyburn said in a statement that study hopes to give the commission an understanding of, how Americans obtain the information critical to their daily lives in a dynamic technological environment, and what barriers exist in our media ecologies to providing and accessing this information. The Commission said that the Critical Information Needs study will be modeling the study from one developed by Social Solutions International. In the case of television, it will monitor a range of stations on a Monday in January, then a different range of stations on a Tuesday in February, etc.