WASHINGTON—The NAB is applauding a decision by the Federal Communications Commission that the 2022 quadrennial review of broadcast ownership rules will be on its agenda this month.
“We commend Chairman Carr for jump-starting the long-overdue 2022 Quadrennial Ownership Review. Outdated rules have held broadcasters back for too long,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “Modernizing them means stronger local journalism, more investment in communities and the live sports fans count on. Broadcasters welcome this long-awaited step forward.”
The NAB and other broadcasters have long been pushing the FCC and Congress to abolish ownership caps on broadcast station groups, which they contend put broadcasters at a competitive disadvantage to big tech companies. As part of that effort, the NAB launched another campaign last week to end those ownership rules.
It isn’t immediately clear, however, the 2022 Quadrennial Review will proceed. As of 7:00 p.m. ET, the FCC had not posted an agenda for its Sept. 30 Open Meeting or supplied materials relating to the items that will be under consideration at the meeting.
In Sept. 8 blog post, however, FCC Chair Brendan Carr listed a number of items that will be under consideration in Sept. Near the bottom of his blog, in the fourth of five items on the list, he provided a few details regarding the Quadrennial review.
“For our fourth item on the agenda, we will vote to kick off the Commission’s quadrennial review of our broadcast ownership rules," Carr wrote. "The FCC is required by law to review certain broadcast ownership rules every four years to determine whether the rules remain `necessary in the public interest as the result of competition.' We will be seeking comment on the Local Radio Ownership Rule, which limits the total number of radio stations that may be commonly owned in a local market; the Local Television Rule, which limits a single entity from owning more than two television stations in the same local market; and the Dual Network Rule, which prohibits a merger between or among the Big Four broadcast networks."
Very notably, Carr did not mention national ownership caps, which is the primary focus of broadcast lobbying efforts.
The FCC is considering those national ownership caps in a separate docket.
In July, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the Federal Communications Commission’s rules against a station group owning more than one of the top-four TV stations in audience share in a given market. Both Carr and the NAB applauded that decision.
Eliminating those rules will help certain recently announced station swaps and sales pass regulatory review.
