The National Association of Broadcasters has filed a petition in federal court seeking to compel the Federal Communications Commission to complete its 2018 quadrennial review of broadcast ownership rules, as required by law. The FCC is obligated to review its broadcast ownership rules every four years and determine if they remain in the public interest, but it has only completed one review in the last 15 years.
The stalled quadrennial review is at the heart of the deregulation argument, along with other sought-after rule changes to give broadcasters more level playing ground in competition with digital and satellite.
“The Commission cannot continue to ignore its clear duty under the law,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. ”Broadcasters do not simply compete against each other, but with digital behemoths in a crowded media marketplace where big tech companies threaten the viability of local media – the most trusted source of news. Broadcasters and the hundreds of millions of Americans that depend on us can’t wait another day, much less another four years, for the FCC to allow us to compete on a level playing field. NAB is seeking judicial relief as unfortunately the Commission has left us no other option.”
