FCC Repeals National TV Ownership Cap, Opening Door to Greater Consolidation

The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to eliminate the rule that limits any single company from reaching more than 39 % of U.S. TV households on the public airwaves. The three-member panel approved the repeal by a 2-1 vote, with Republican commissioners Brendan Carr and Olivia Trusty in favor and Democrat Anna Gomez opposing. Carr announced that the former cap will be replaced by a “case-by-case review” process, giving the commission greater discretion over future station-ownership deals.

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Since the advent of broadcast television, the federal government has imposed caps to preserve localism, viewpoint diversity, and competition. In the 1980s the limit was 12 stations covering no more than 25 % of TV households. Congressional action in the 1990s removed the 12-station ceiling and raised the ceiling to 35 %, later adjusted to the 39 % threshold that stood until this vote.

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Gomez contended that eliminating the cap merely shifts economic pressure from Big Tech to large media conglomerates, without protecting local communities.

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• “His goal is to spur more media consolidation involving companies Donald Trump views as ideological allies and corporate cronies,” — Matt Wood

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• “I am skeptical a change can be made absent an act of Congress.” — Sen. Ted Cruz

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• “Trump’s FCC Chair is trying to illegally rewrite the rules to make it easier for billionaires to line their own pockets while jacking up costs and controlling what Americans watch,” — Sen. Elizabeth Warren

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• “The large station groups positioned to grow even larger under this decision are not local broadcasters, they are national companies that own local stations and increasingly dictate what airs on them,” — Anna Gomez

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