This ruling is a result the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit which vacated and remanded the Commission’s decision to revise several ownership rules. This new Order from the FCC, amends its rules to reflect the court’s mandate and clarify which rules are currently in effect.
The Order repeals changes adopted in the Incubator Order and Order on Reconsideration and the eligible entity definition as adopted in the Second Report and Order. As a result of the court’s decision and these revisions, the Newspaper/Broadcast Cross-Ownership Rule, Radio/Television Cross-Ownership Rule, Local Television Ownership Rule, Local Radio Ownership Rule, and Television Joint Sales Agreement Attribution Rule are reinstated as they existed prior to the Order on Reconsideration.
In addition, the eligible entity standard and its application to regulatory measures as set forth in the Second Report and Order are repealed. Finally, the regulatory measures adopted in the Incubator Order are similarly repealed and unavailable to applicants.
