FCC Chairman Ajit Pai may be planning to restore the UHF station discount that will relax the ownership rules for broadcasters.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the commission is set to announce its plans today. The move would reverse a decision by the previous FCC to remove the UHF discount that reduced how much lower-power UHF stations counted toward the broadcast TV ownership cap.
Last year, the FCC changed the UHF discount governing ownership rules for broadcast stations so that UHF stations would now have to count 100% of their reach toward the cap, instead of the previous 50%.
Since that time, broadcasters like CBS have urged the FCC to reinstate the UHF discount before making any further reforms on the ownership rules that currently cap a broadcast station group’s national audience reach at 39%.
The potential move by the FCC would fulfill the wishes of many broadcasters looking to acquire more stations. Broadcasters including CBS and Nexstar—which recently completed a $4.4 billion acquisition of Media General—are looking to grow in order to better compete.
Full Content: Wall Street Journal
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Prime Therapeutics Found in Violation of Antitrust Laws, Arbitrator Rules
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
Honda and Nissan Face Challenges in China Amid Potential Merger
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
Trump Criticizes EU’s Tech Crackdown, Calls It ‘A Form of Taxation’
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
Meta Faces Fresh Allegations of EU Law Breaches in Subscription Service Rollout
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
European Commission Investigates Crypto Rules for Cross-Border Stablecoins
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – International Criminal Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
The Antitrust Division’s Recent Work to Combat International Cartels
Jan 23, 2025 by
Emma Burnham & Benjamin Christenson
Information Sharing: The New Frontier of U.S. Antitrust Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
Brian P. Quinn, Casey Kovarik & Michael Tubach
The Key Role of Guidelines on Exchanges of Information Among Competitors and the Divergent Transatlantic Paths
Jan 23, 2025 by
Rosa Abrantes-Metz & Albert Metz
Leniency, Whistleblowers, and Compliance
Jan 23, 2025 by
Richard Powers, Tara O’Malley & Cory Gordon