Three former Republican congressional leaders say it’s time to stop treating broadcasters like it’s 2004. The trio argue the FCC is holding radio broadcasters back with ownership restrictions designed for a pre-social-media world.
In an op-ed for The Hill, past House Energy and Commerce Committee chairs Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Greg Walden, and Fred Upton argue that decades-old FCC ownership restrictions are strangling radio and television stations while unregulated tech giants face no such limits.
All three point to the FCC’s 39% national audience reach cap for television as a prime example of policy “spawned in an era when access to information was far more limited than it is today.” That same “arcane” thinking, they contend, now unfairly constrains radio through local ownership caps.
“The government doesn’t limit the audience reach of social media platforms – nor should it,” they write. “In an era of ubiquitous digital platforms, algorithms shaping what individuals consume, and billion-dollar content investments, the government should allow every sector of the communications industry, especially those long-committed to serving local communities, to reach consumers and compete in the marketplace.”
The result, the trio says, has been “an uneven playing field that penalizes local broadcasters” despite their continued delivery of essential community services, such as emergency alerts and public safety information.
The authors fault congressional Democrats for blocking reform efforts and accuse the party’s FCC appointees of “keeping broadcasters capped as if it were still 2004.” But they express optimism that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s current deregulatory push will finally modernize the rules. Carr has launched a review of the long-standing limits as part of the delayed 2022 Quadrennial Review, signaling potential change ahead.
“It is 2025, and the federal government should free media companies to compete in a global, digitally integrated environment that regulators never imagined in 2004,” they write. “Otherwise, the regulatory vise will continue to tighten and constrict broadcasters—one of America’s most essential and trusted sources of information.”
The NAB is among those pushing hard for that freedom. In recent meetings with advisors to FCC Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty, NAB leaders argued that outdated ownership rules are blocking broadcasters from competing in an audio economy dominated by streaming and on-demand platforms. The association wants all restrictions lifted in Nielsen markets 76 and below, with ownership of up to eight FM signals allowed in larger markets and no AM cap.
NAB cited BIA and Borrell data showing deep revenue declines and shrinking market share as local broadcasters now capture only 15% of digital ad spend. The association says ownership flexibility would help radio operators diversify formats, strengthen digital sales, and build the competitive scale needed to survive.
