Media Bureau Seeks Comment on National Broadcast Ownership Cap
The FCC Media Bureau issued a public notice late Wednesday seeking comment on eliminating or modifying the broadcast national ownership cap. The item sought comment about changing the cap, modifying the UHF discount and treating ownership of non-top-four affiliate stations differently under the rules. If the FCC “retains a national audience reach cap, should common ownership of stations that are not affiliated with major national broadcast networks (i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, or FOX) be excluded from the cap?” the notice asked.
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Comments on the proposal are to be filed in docket 17-318, a proceeding opened in 2017 under then-Chairman Ajit Pai. The 2017 NPRM didn’t end up leading to agency action on the ownership cap.
“The prior comment and reply comment period in this proceeding closed over seven years ago. Given the passage of time, we now seek further comment to refresh the record in this proceeding,” said Wednesday’s notice. The proposal to treat network affiliates differently is based on language in the 2017 NPRM, it said. The prior FCC “reasoned that, by placing limits on the expansion of network-owned and operated station groups, a national cap would preserve a balance in the marketplace between the networks and their local affiliates.”
The item also sought comment on developments in the broadcast industry since the original proceeding and on the relationships between broadcasters, streaming services and networks. “Are there any developments relevant to the relationship between national broadcast networks and their local affiliate television station groups?” it asked. “Do the current relationships and business dealings between broadcast television and other video distributors support modification or elimination of the national audience reach cap?”