FCC to Vote on Eliminating Broadcast Ownership Cap
The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote next month on whether to eliminate the national broadcast ownership cap, a rule that has limited a single company from owning broadcast stations reaching more than 39 percent of US TV households.
Republican Chair Brendan Carr announced the August 6th vote in a Breitbart op-ed, arguing that the rise of social media and streaming platforms renders the decades-old rule obsolete. According to Carr, national programmers can now reach "100 percent of the country" through these digital platforms without needing access to public airwaves.
The ownership cap was originally established to prevent one company from dominating the media landscape and to incentivize broadcasters to serve local communities. If approved, the change could enable significant consolidation among major broadcast companies.