FCC to vote on ending national TV station ownership cap
Chair Brendan Carr set an Aug. 6 vote on removing the 39% broadcast ownership limit, arguing streaming and social media have made it outdated.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote Aug. 6 on whether to scrap a rule limiting how much of the national television audience one broadcast owner can reach. The Verge reported that the move would address the current 39% cap on U.S. TV households.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced the planned vote Wednesday in an op-ed for Breitbart. Carr, a Republican, argued that the national ownership cap no longer fits a media market shaped by social media and streaming services.
Under the rule, a single company is barred from owning broadcast stations that collectively reach more than 39% of U.S. television households, according to The Verge. The rule was designed to stop one company from gaining too much control over broadcast outlets and to encourage stations to serve local communities, The Verge reported.
Carr says the rule is outdated
In the Breitbart op-ed, Carr said national programmers can now reach “100 percent of the country” through online platforms without relying on access to public airwaves. He cited that shift as the reason for ending the cap.
The planned vote would put the FCC on a path toward removing a longstanding limit on broadcast consolidation. The Verge reported that Carr’s proposal would allow companies to seek ownership beyond the current national threshold if the rule is eliminated.
The issue centers on whether broadcast television should still face stricter ownership limits than newer distribution channels. Carr’s argument, as described in his op-ed, is that streaming and social media have changed how national programming reaches audiences.
The Verge reported that the cap was originally intended to protect local service and limit concentration in the broadcast sector. Carr’s case for repeal rests on the view that those concerns carry less weight when programmers can distribute content nationwide through digital services.
The FCC vote is scheduled for Aug. 6, according to Carr’s Breitbart op-ed. If the commission ends the cap, it would remove the federal limit that currently blocks a single broadcast owner from reaching more than 39% of U.S. TV households.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.