Twenty-two Republican senators are urging the FCC to ease or eliminate media ownership rules.
Led by Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, they wrote to Chairman Brendan Carr asking the commission to “modernize broadcast ownership rules to enable local broadcasters to compete with today’s media giants.”
The NAB welcomed the letter. Last month a similar message from members of the House of Representatives was sent by a group of 69 Republicans and four Democrats.
The 22 senators didn’t itemize their desired changes; but the National Association of Broadcasters has asked the FCC to drop local TV ownership rules, delete local radio ownership subcaps in all markets, end rules on radio ownership in smallest markets, lift all restrictions on AM ownership and allow ownership of eight commercial FMs in larger markets.
Many of the current regulations originated in the 1940s, the senators wrote, and while the FCC has made modest adjustments, broadcast ownership rules remain nearly the same as they were in the 1990s.
“Despite modest tweaks, these rules fail to account for the rise in digital platforms, streaming services, smartphones and social media. Local broadcasters now vie for audience, content and advertising not just with each other, but with the world’s largest tech companies. The regulations, designed for a bygone era, no longer reflect this society.”
They told Carr that broadcasters must compete with tech firms “under a regulatory burden that ties one hand behind their back. … 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.”
[Related: “NAB Swings for the Fences With Delete, Delete Filing”]
