As FCC Chairman Brendan Carr seeks suggestions for what broadcast regulations could stand a rollback, a bipartisan coalition of 73 US House members, led by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), has called for an update to decades-old radio and TV ownership caps.
In a letter addressed to Chairman Carr, lawmakers argued that current rules are placing local TV and radio broadcasters at a significant disadvantage in the evolving media environment.
The members of Congress highlighted that the ownership limits, many of which date back to the 1940s and were last meaningfully adjusted in the 1990s, are out of sync with the rise of unregulated digital platforms. As tech giants dominate the media and advertising landscape without the same restrictions, local broadcasters remain bound by rules created in an era when they were the only electronic media source.
The letter states that broadcasters are being held back from innovation, expansion, and newsroom investment, weakening their ability to compete and serve local communities. “At a time when newspapers are battling to survive, broadcasters’ local engagement is more important than ever. When broadcasters cannot combine or expand operations, they struggle to maintain sufficient newsroom staff and invest in journalism,” the lawmakers wrote. “Updating these rules is not just an urgent economic necessity, it is a public service imperative.”
The NAB, which recently launched its Modernize the Rules public awareness campaign, is one of the main supporters of the regulatory change.