Broadcasters will be glad to see the FCC has moved quickly following the government shutdown to launch the comment period on its long-delayed review of media ownership rules, setting December and January deadlines for the highly anticipated proceeding.
The Commission is asking whether current limits on radio and television station ownership should remain in place, be updated, or be eliminated entirely. With publication of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register on Monday, comments are due December 17, with reply comments due January 16, 2026.
The proceeding will evaluate the Local Radio Ownership Rule, the Local Television Ownership Rule, and the Dual Network Rule. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has framed the review as applying “the Gretzky test,” anticipating future market conditions rather than reacting to the past.
The Commission unanimously passed the NPRM to restart its long-delayed 2022 Quadrennial Review of broadcast ownership rules at its September Open Meeting. The focus centers on how local radio ownership should adapt in a marketplace dominated by digital and streaming competitors.
For radio broadcasters, the stakes are significant. Current rules limit how many stations one company can own in a market based on market size. In a market with 45 or more stations, an entity can own up to eight, no more than five of which may be FM or AM. The previous review concluded in late 2023 after years of delay and retained the rule despite industry calls for reform and subsequent legal challenges to related television ownership provisions.
The NAB, state broadcast associations, and a majority of radio broadcast ownership groups are expected to advocate for deregulation. Organizations from the technology sector and the musicFIRST coalition are likely to support the status quo, the latter appearing to oppose all pro-radio legislation over their desire to impose additional royalties on local broadcasters.
Comments can be submitted online through the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System. The proceeding is identified as MB Docket No. 22-459.
