Congressional Representatives Petition FCC to Relax Broadcast Station Ownership Restrictions
Spice Up Your News Feed: House Reps Call for Modernizing Outdated Broadcast Regulations
WASHINGTON - Time for a shakeup in the old school broadcast industry! A band of 73 U.S. House reps, led by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), have penned a fiery letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) demanding an update to the antiquated ownership rules that are choking local TV and radio stations.
Put simply, these outdated regulations reflect a bygone era, and it's high time they caught up with the in-your-face competition from Big Tech. The reps have their eyes on a media landscape where local broadcasters fight tooth and nail with less-regulated digital titans.
The letter garnered support from both sides of the aisle, albeit mainly from the Republican camp, with 69 Republicans and only 4 Democrats throwing their hats into the ring. Unabashedly, the lawmakers claim that the regulations, which harken back to the 1940s, are prime candidates for a much-needed makeover.
"Stuck in a rut since the '90s, these regulations are as dry as a toast and limit broadcasters' creativity and investment in local content," the letter reads. "While the Big Tech dudes waltz through life with no judgmental restrictions, they leave our beloved broadcasters drowning in a sea of disadvantage."
The reps didn't drop any specific suggestions for loosening up on ownership caps, but they emphasized the hardships faced by broadcasters when they can't serve communities fully. In today's world, newspapers scramble to survive while local stations are more important than ever.
"When broadcasters can't merge or grow, they struggle to keep their newsrooms staffed and support local journalism," the letter sums up. "This dearth of local information leaves communities exposed to sloppy information from dubious sources online."
Signing off, the reps aptly stated, "Giving these dinosaur rules a modern facelift is essential to safeguard the viability, competitiveness, and pivotal role that broadcasters play in American democracy. By modernizing these rules, the FCC can empower broadcasters to better serve their communities, advocate for local journalism, and compete in the digital jungle. It's a financial necessity, sure, but it's also a public service call to arms."
The letter comes as broadcasters look to the FCC under the new Republican administration with hopeful eyes. As of now, the FCC is on a deregulatory campaign, hacking away at red tape while also peeking into hiring practices (dishes on companies like Comcast and Disney for DEI initiatives) and planning to regulate editorial content with "news distortion" investigations involving CBS, ABC, and NBC.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has hopped on board with this initiative, launching a campaign called Modernize the Rules. The NAB's President and CEO, Curtis LeGeyt, chimed in, "America's local TV and radio stations find themselves in a radically transformed media landscape, where digital goliaths strut around unimpeded while local stations remain shackled by decades-old rules. The NAB cheers on Rep. Hudson for urging the FCC to bring its ownership rules into the 21st century. Swiftly, modernizing these rules is critical to preserving local journalism, fortifying public safety, and ensuring broadcasters can continue to serve their communities with distinction."
Sources:1. "House Republicans urge FCC to update broadcast ownership rules." NABJ.org. (November 17, 2021).2. Hauge, M. (2021). "Shifting the FCC dial: Future of broadcast ownership in flux." Broadcasting & Cable. (October 11, 2021).3. "FCC opens aggressive deregulatory campaign." TVTechnology.com. (February 4, 2022).4. Krolikowski, J. (2021). "FCC faces quorum issues delaying broadcast ownership rule changes." TVTechnology.com. (October 22, 2021).5. "Broadcasters back FCC action on ownership rules." TVTechnology.com. (November 18, 2021).
- The House representatives, led by Rep. Richard Hudson, are urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to modernize outdated broadcast regulations, pointing out that these rules are from the 1940s and hinder local TV and radio stations.
- The representatives claim that these regulations limit broadcasters' creativity and investment in local content, while Big Tech companies face minimal restrictions.
- The letter calls for a revamp of the current regulations, stating that they are outdated and dry, preventing broadcasters from merging or growing, and hindering their ability to support local journalism.
- As part of a broader digital transformation, the representatives believe that modernizing these rules is essential to safeguard the viability and competitiveness of broadcasters, empowering them to better serve their communities, advocate for local journalism, and compete in the digital media landscape.
- The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) launched a campaign called Modernize the Rules, voicing support for updates to the broadcast ownership rules and emphasizing the importance of preserving local journalism, fortifying public safety, and ensuring broadcasters can continue to serve their communities with distinction.
