Conservative Groups Urge Fcc To Modernize Outdated Broadcast Ownership

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Call: (866) 682-0276 Email: legal@nab.org Join our team of broadcast advocates. When legislative issues arise that could impact your station and career, we'll reach out and give you simple steps to contact your legislators. Sign Up Today More than 20 conservative organizations and individuals, led by Heritage Action for America, have sent a joint letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr urging the Commission to overhaul long-standing broadcast ownership regulations. The coalition argues that current rules, which date back to the 1940s, are outdated and hinder the competitiveness of local radio and TV broadcasters in today's digital media landscape.

"These rules may have served the public interest in last century's marketplace," the letter states, "but they have long since become antiquated and harmful by stifling investment and innovation in broadcasting." Specifically, the groups are calling for the repeal of the 39% national television ownership cap, restrictions on local TV duopolies, and local radio ownership caps. The letter contends that such reforms would allow broadcasters to "achieve the scale and efficiencies necessary to compete - and to attract vital investment - in a fragmented and rapidly evolving information market." The letter emphasizes the asymmetry in regulation between broadcasters and Big Tech platforms, noting that "broadcasters are limited by the ownership rules in how many households and consumers they can reach," while platforms like... Curtis LeGeyt, President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, praised the show of support. "Americans across the political spectrum agree that burdensome, arbitrary regulations are limiting local TV and radio stations' ability to compete with Big Tech in the modern media landscape," he said.

"We are grateful for the wide-ranging support to modernize these outdated broadcast ownership rules and echo the call for the FCC to level the playing field so local broadcasters can provide the most-trusted news,... More than 20 conservative groups, led by Heritage Action for America, sent a letter Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr voicing their support for the agency’s efforts to modernize what they call outdated ownership... The letter puts forth the argument that digital media is at an advantage over analogue media due to these regulations. “The FCC’s television and radio ownership rules date back to the 1940s, when broadcast dominated mass communications in the U.S. Since then, the media marketplace has changed drastically – from widespread deployment of cable and satellite television networks to the rise of social media, podcasts, and streaming. Local broadcasters compete directly with Big Tech, streaming services, and social media platforms in the marketplace of consumer content.

Yet, unlike their competitors such as YouTube and Facebook, broadcasters are limited by the ownership rules in how many households and consumers they can reach. This is an inherent disadvantage.” The letter adds, “By eliminating the national television cap, local TV duopoly restrictions, and local radio ownership caps, broadcasters can better achieve the scale and efficiencies necessary to compete... Over 20 conservative groups and individuals, led by Heritage Action for America, sent a letter today to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr supporting efforts to modernize outdated ownership regulations that negatively impact... The letter highlights the need to update “antiquated and harmful” rules that restrict local TV and radio broadcasters from reaching American households while Big Tech companies face no such constraints. © 2024 Arkansas Broadcasters Association. Signatories urge the FCC to act swiftly to update outdated regulations

Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of 73 members of the U.S. House of Representatives led by Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-09) today sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calling for immediate action to update outdated ownership regulations that hurt local TV and radio stations. The lawmakers emphasized the need for rules that reflect today’s competitive media landscape, where local broadcasters face unprecedented challenges competing with unregulated Big Tech platforms. “America’s local TV and radio stations are facing a radically transformed media landscape where global tech giants operate without restriction while local stations remain shackled by decades-old rules,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis...

“NAB is grateful to Rep. Hudson and his bipartisan colleagues for urging the FCC to bring its ownership regulations into the modern era. Quickly updating these rules is essential to preserving local journalism, strengthening public safety and ensuring that broadcasters can continue to serve the communities that rely on them every day.” “Reforming outdated ownership rules is essential to ensuring that broadcasters remain viable, competitive, and capable of fulfilling their essential role in American democracy. By modernizing these regulations, the FCC can empower broadcasters to better serve their communities, promote local journalism, and compete in the modern media marketplace. Updating these rules is not just an urgent economic necessity, it is a public service imperative.

“We urge the FCC to act swiftly in eliminating antiquated ownership restrictions and to embrace a broadcast regulatory framework that reflects the realities of today’s dynamic media ecosystem.” Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas and 21 other Republican senators are urging the FCC to “modernize [its] broadcast ownership rules to enable broadcasters to compete with today's media giants.” Broadcasters doubled down in late April... Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today! “The fast-evolving media marketplace has made broadcast ownership regulations in urgent need of modernization,” the Republican senators said in a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that circulated Thursday.

“Despite modest tweaks, these rules fail to account for the rise of digital platforms, streaming services, smartphones, and social media.” Local broadcasters “now vie for audience, content, and advertising not just with each other,... “The regulations, designed for a bygone era, no longer reflect this reality." “Now is the time for swift FCC action to level the playing field for local broadcasters by modernizing the broadcast ownership rules,” the letter said. “Without the opportunity to combine or expand operations, broadcasters struggle to invest in journalism, retain sufficient newsroom staff, and strain to compete against their unregulated global Big Tech competitors. By modernizing broadcast ownership restrictions, the FCC can empower broadcasters to fulfill their essential role in American democracy, foster local journalism, and benefit local communities and the public interest.” NAB praised Moran “and his colleagues for their leadership in urging the FCC to modernize decades-old broadcast ownership rules that impede local stations’ ability to invest in our newsrooms, innovate and serve our communities,”...

“Local broadcasters compete every day with trillion-dollar tech companies, yet we remain shackled by ownership restrictions that are premised on the outdated notion that broadcasters compete only with one another for audience and advertising. We urge [Carr and the FCC] to act expeditiously to empower local stations.” What to watch for if the commission relaxes ownership rules Media brokers, attorneys and other commission watchers say Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty — the 2–1 Republican majority on the FCC — are poised to overhaul local broadcast ownership caps. At present, in each of the largest U.S. radio markets, a licensee can own up to eight commercial radio stations, and a subcap limits a licensee to owning no more than five on each band (FM/AM) in the market.

The caps shrink as market size decreases. If those limits are relaxed or removed, brokers expect rapid consolidation through mergers, acquisitions or station swaps, not just in large markets but also medium and smaller ones. The FCC in September decided that as part of its quadrennial rule review, it will consider relaxing or eliminating these limits, though as of press time, the ongoing government shutdown had delayed the comment...

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