Public comments in the FCC’s media ownership proceeding must be filed by March 5 and reply comments by April 3.
Federal Register publication of the proposed rule changes triggered public comment dates.
The commission must review its media ownership rules every four years to make sure they’re still necessary and serve the public interest, while at the same time, keeping abreast of new technologies and changing marketplace conditions.
The FCC has proposed retaining the local radio ownership “tiers” and asks for comment on whether or how the rule should account for other audio platforms as well as the impact from the introduction of digital radio.
The agency proposes to repeal the radio/television cross-ownership rule, and to eliminate the blanket ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership, replacing it with a modified version that would allow one company to own a newspaper and a broadcast station in the same market in the top 20 TV markets under certain criteria.
Comments are due to MB Docket Nos. 09–182 and 07–294.
