Modernization of regulations will strengthen local journalism, enhance public interest, and ensure broadcasters can compete in a digital age

BISMARCK, N.D. – Despite the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) making modest adjustments to its broadcast ownership rules, the regulations remain nearly the same as they were in the 1990s. The minimal changes implemented since then fail to account for the rise of digital platforms, social media, streaming services, and smartphones.

Local broadcasters are a trusted source for credible reporting, yet they face outdated ownership restrictions. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) in sending a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, requesting the agency modernize its broadcast ownership rules to enable local broadcasters to compete with today’s giant media conglomerates. The letter echoes Chairman Carr’s characterization of the failure to modernize regulations as a “break glass moment” for local media.

Specifically, the letter calls on the FCC to repeal the national audience reach cap, update local television (TV) ownership limits, and modernize local radio station sub-caps. The FCC’s national audience reach cap limits a single entity's ability to own TV stations, which collectively reach more than 39% of U.S. TV households. Another regulation imposed by the agency, known as the “Top 4” rule, also restricts the number of big four broadcast TV networks a company can own. This rule applies to ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. 

The FCC’s arcane local radio ownership sub-caps limit the number of stations an organization can own per market based on the total number of stations within the market. In a radio market with more than 45 stations, an entity may own up to eight radio stations. No more than five of the stations can be in the same service (AM or FM). 

“The fast-evolving media marketplace has made broadcast ownership regulations in urgent need of modernization,” wrote the senators. “Local broadcasters now vie for audience, content, and advertising not just with each other, but with the world’s largest tech companies. The regulations, designed for a bygone era, no longer reflect this reality.”

In the letter, the senators state it is “time for swift FCC action to level the playing field for local broadcasters by modernizing the broadcast ownership rules.”

“Without the opportunity to combine or expand operations, broadcasters struggle to invest in journalism, retain sufficient newsroom staff, and strain to compete against their unregulated global Big Tech competitors,” concluded the senators. “By modernizing broadcast ownership restrictions, the FCC can empower broadcasters to fulfill their essential role in American democracy, foster local journalism, and benefit local communities […] Updating these rules will strengthen local journalism, enhance public interest, and ensure broadcasters can compete in a digital age, not just survive it.”

Members who cosigned the letter include U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Todd Young (R-IN).

Click here for the letter.