On the heels of a federal court granting a stay of the FCC’s new ownership rules, a Senate panel has piled on. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to prevent the commission from enforcing for one year the planned change to the TV audience cap rule. In June, the FCC voted to raise the TV audience limit from the current 35% to 45%.
The provision was tacked onto a $38.4 billion spending measure for the Commerce, State and Justice Department, which includes the FCC budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in October.
The House has passed a similar measure that the White House has threatened to veto because of the TV provision.
The Senate is also expected to consider soon an effort to rescind all the new media ownership rules, including the new radio market definition.
Senate Appropriations Backs Holding Off on TV Cap Change
Senate Appropriations Backs Holding Off on TV Cap Change
