The ongoing battle over radio ownership limits moved to Capitol Hill this week, with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) testifying before a House subcommittee on the urgent need for deregulation. The hearing focused on the “subcaps” that restrict the number of AM and FM stations a single entity can own in a local market.
Industry representatives argued that the current rules, written in the 1990s, are suffocating local radio by preventing the consolidation necessary to survive in a digital-first economy. The testimony highlighted that small market broadcasters are competing for advertising dollars against tech giants like Google and Meta, which face no such restrictions on market share.
The argument presented is that allowing a single owner to operate more stations in a town like Topeka or Billings would create the economies of scale needed to fund local news and emergency services. Opponents, however, voiced concerns that lifting the caps would reduce the diversity of voices and lead to widespread homogenization of content. The committee is expected to make a recommendation to the FCC regarding a new rulemaking proceeding later this quarter.