National Association of Broadcasters pushes FCC to ease TV and radio ownership caps

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) met with Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Olivia Trusty and senior legal advisor Marcus Maher on July 23. NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt and chief legal officer Rick Kaplan urged the FCC to replace the rigid 39 percent national television ownership cap with a case‑by‑case public‑interest review, arguing that the outdated rule hampers broadcasters’ ability to scale, compete for advertising, and fund local news.

The same meeting was used to press for reform of the local radio ownership limits under the 2022 Quadrennial Review. NAB seeks to eliminate caps in markets ranked 76 and below and to allow up to eight FM stations (with no cap on AM) in markets ranked 1 through 75, noting that three‑decade‑old restrictions threaten the economic viability of radio broadcasters in the digital‑audio era.