FCC to Vote on Ending 39% National TV Ownership Limit Despite Statutory Concerns

FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated Wednesday that the agency will vote to rescind the 85-year-old rule barring any broadcaster from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households. Carr outlined a new case-by-case approach under which the FCC could approve deals exceeding the cap if they promote the public interest.

Current rules count stations with weaker over-the-air signals only partially toward the ownership limit. In March the FCC approved Nexstar's $3.54 billion purchase of Tegna and waived the 39% cap for that transaction, which would give Nexstar coverage of 80% of U.S. households.

A judge later halted the deal pending litigation. President Donald Trump said in February that he supported the Nexstar-Tegna transaction. Trump has pressed Carr to revoke the broadcast licenses of Comcast-owned NBC and ABC stations, and Carr ordered an early license review of Disney's eight ABC stations.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said the cap reflects Congress' judgment that excessive concentration threatens competition, localism, and viewpoint diversity, and that it remains the law. The National Association of Broadcasters welcomed the planned change, stating that decades-old ownership restrictions applying only to broadcasters are out of step with today's media marketplace.