FCC to repeal 39% TV ownership cap in boost for Trump-friendly news orgs

The FCC will vote to repeal the 39% National Television Ownership Rule, which is designed to prevent a single broadcaster from reaching more than 39% of U.S. TV households. The proposal could trigger a court fight over whether the FCC can remove a limit set by Congress. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the agency will replace the cap with a “case-by-case review” of each proposed merger, announced in a Breitbart op-ed. Carr previously treated the rule as optional, granting a March waiver that enabled Nexstar Media Group to buy Tegna and reach more than half of TV households. The move would allow some mergers to surpass the former threshold more easily. Commissioner Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democrat, called the plan unlawful and warned it could weaken local news and community reporting.