The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is changing its rules to allow local TV station owners to get much bigger. The FCC will vote next month to repeal its national broadcast ownership rule, which prohibits a single company from reaching more than 39% of US TV households.
Background
The rule is intended to encourage local ownership, but FCC chair Brendan Carr says it is “outdated” because it is preventing station owners “from gaining the same scale that their competitors are free to enjoy.”
Carr’s office says he wants to implement a “case-by-case” review process that “will empower the FCC to approve deals that promote the public interest while allowing the agency to reject any deals that do not meet that standard.”
Reactions
Critics say Carr has weaponized the “public interest” standard to favor allies of President Donald Trump and punish his critics. However, the FCC is currently firmly under Republican control, so the August 6 vote to eliminate the rule will almost certainly pass.
Conservative lawmakers and advocacy groups have pushed for the elimination of the cap for years, suggesting that it would level the proverbial playing field. Public interest groups that support the cap say Carr is really trying to help his political allies.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
