US: Prometheus sues FCC over broadcast deregulation

The Prometheus Radio Project, which has been battling media deregulation for a decade and a half, has filed suit against the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) recent decision to eliminate the newspaper—broadcast cross ownership and loosen other broadcast regulations, saying the FCC “ignores evidence in the record, misinterprets evidence, and fails to consider important aspects of the record.”

The rule challenge was filed in the Third Circuit, which has been dealing with the issue for almost as long.

Joined by the Media Mobilizing Project, Prometheus wants the court to reverse the decision and require the FCC to “fully comply” with the court’s direction in remanding a previous quadrennial decision after Prometheus challenged it.

On November 17, as part of the Congressionally mandated quadrennial media ownership regulation review, a Republican FCC majority, assailed by FCC Democrats who strongly dissented, eliminated some decades—old broadcast regulations and tweaked others in what broadcasters have argued is necessary to allow them to remain relevant in a sea of less—regulated competitors.

Full Content: Law360

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