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Compromise Reached on TV Audience Cap

Compromise Reached on TV Audience Cap

Congress and the White House reached a compromise on the TV audience cap but it’s unclear when it might pass both houses as conference committee negotiations continue over a year-end omnibus-spending package.
The new media ownership rules passed in June would raise the TV audience cap to 45%. Those rules are blocked while they are being challenged in federal court.
Some lawmakers wanted to lower that figure to 35%. The White House so opposed this language it threatened to veto the entire $390 billion spending package for several federal agencies.
The compromise is 39%. Senate leaders wanted to complete the bill by Tuesday, but it was unclear if it could do so. The House, meanwhile, already decided to adjourn last week and return early next month to vote.
The language does not affect radio. Of all the provisions that included radio in rollbacks of the new FCC rules, only the TV audience cap language made it into the spending package.

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