As Broadcast Attorney David Oxenford writes in his latest blog, the the FCC has released a Public Notice asking a number of questions about the audio marketplace. The Commission will use that information in a report to Congress. However, Oxenford believes they may also use it as a guide to the upcoming discussion on ownerships caps.
Here is what the Commission is asking for comments on:
- Identification and ownership of key audio marketplace participants, as well as the business models and competitive strategies they use;
- Trends in service offerings, pricing, and consumer behavior; the extent of competition among audio marketplace participants, including intramodal competition (i.e. competition among providers of the same type, such as terrestrial radio broadcast stations) and intermodal competition (i.e. competition among providers of different types, such as terrestrial radio broadcast stations and satellite radio providers);
- Ratings, subscribership, and revenue information, for the marketplace as a whole and for individual audio marketplace Pparticipants;
- Capital investment, innovation, and the deployment of advanced technology;
- Requirements for entry into the marketplace; and,
- Recent entry into and exit from the marketplace.
As we know, although it is not unanimous amongst all broadcasters, the NAB is pushing for some loosening of the ownership cap rules, arguing radio would be a stronger competitor with Google and Facebook, digital companies that are taking ad revenue share and are not regulated.
The Commission wants data and statistics for 2016 and 2017, as well as information on any trends and developments that have occurred during 2018 to date.
Comments are due 30 days after the notice of this study is published in the Federal Register. Reply comments will be due 45 days after Federal Register publication.
