There was a time when the FCC – Federal Communications commission – kept pretty tight control on television and radio stations.
There was a strict limit on the number of stations a single person or corporation could own in a single market.
DJ’s had to have a license in order to work at a station.
Radio stations had to keep strict logs of what they played and the ads they ran.
It was a running joke in the industry that the FCC was god!
But in the 80’s, the FCC began to get lax on some of their regulations; but the one controlling the amount of ownership in any given market stayed…
…until now!
In a 2-1 vote the FCC voted August 6 to eliminate the rule on ownership regulations.
Pushed by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the deregulatory move will allow owners to monopolize a market ensuring one-sided broadcasts in some areas.
Previously, the law limited market ownership of no more than 39% of the homes in any given area; now the FCC claims the move 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.”
In non-legalese it means the FCC can push their own agenda and lock out markets they don’t like.
Earlier this year, the FCC approved a merger between Nexstar and Tegna that would have allowed a single entity to reach a whopping 80% of the households in the United States. The move was block in a federal court ruling after DirecTV and several states attorney generals filed a suit.
In an op-ed on the website Breitbart, Carr lamented the ruling to limit station ownership claiming that “New York and Hollywood interests” have become too powerful and have steamrolled local TV station owners.” He also noted that the rule needed changing so that “broadcasters can better compete with cable TV companies and large tech platforms.”
FCC commissioner Anna M. Gomez added “eliminating the cap does not free local broadcasters from economic pressure, it just changes who is doing the squeezing. Trading a squeeze from Big Tech for a squeeze from Big Media does nothing to protect the communities this cap was designed to serve.”
Both Gomez and former House majority leader tom DeLay noted that any changes to the ruling of a 39% cap is in the hands of Congress; NOT the FCC!
DeLay noted, “I am a Republican. I support deregulation and the Trump administration. But my ultimate loyalty rests with the Constitution, which gives certain prerogatives to Congress. Regulatory agencies cannot defy or modify laws enacted by Congress. If Chairman Carr wants to raise the statutory cap, he should ask Congress to pass a law giving him authority to do that.”
Since taking office in 2025, Carr has ruffled quite a few feathers over investigations into media companies and the issues of free speech.
The nonprofit Free Press has said that they intend to sue the FCC and challenge the agency’s authority to remove the 39% cap.
Vice president of policy and general counsel for Free Press Matt Wood said, “changing this limit requires congressional action, but Carr doesn’t care. He’ll do whatever it takes to clear the way for Trump-aligned billionaires to swallow up stations wherever and whenever they please.”