Brendan Carr plans to let streaming giants take over the airwaves

The Federal Communications Commission will vote next month on whether a single company can own broadcast stations that reach more than 39 percent of American television households.

In a Breitbart Editorial On Wednesday, Republican President Brendan Carr announced an Aug. 6 vote to end the national ownership cap rule, which was intended to prevent a single company from controlling the media landscape and incentivize service to local communities. The rise of social media and live streaming platforms makes that rule obsolete, Carr said, because national programmers can reach “100 percent of the country” without needing to hit the public airwaves. Under this logic, capping local TV owners at 39% “prevents them from getting the same spectrum that their competitors freely enjoy.”

The Federal Communications Commission has He already said It is waiving the one-time ownership cap to allow for the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar and Tegna. Federal judge Transaction suspension While the challenge by state prosecutors continues.

Carr’s opponents warn that repealing the rule could hurt local journalism by reducing competition, and say that only Congress, which sets the cap, has the authority to raise or repeal it. “The Commission cannot waive this limit just because these giant companies want to get out from under it,” Democratic FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez said in a statement. statement. Broadcasters already have the freedom to create their own websites or news stations, just like everyone else, said Matt Wood, vice president of policy and general counsel at the nonpartisan nonprofit Free Press. “The national cap does not pose a particular constraint for broadcasters,” he said in a statement. “In fact, broadcasters have a special advantage through their exclusive licenses to use precious national airwaves the way they do.”

Carr just needs the support of Republican Commissioner Olivia Trusty to approve an agenda item. But even if the vote passes, it could still face a challenge over whether the FCC has the authority to get rid of the cap.