D.C. Memo: Eighth Circuit Tosses FCC's Top-Four TV Station Ownership Rule
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Courts: A federal appeals court yesterday provisionally tossed out FCC rules designed to limit excessive control of TV stations affiliated with the ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox networks within the same local market. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit could open the door for local TV stations owned by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Inc. to increase their leverage when seeking carriage fees from cable and satellite TV operators and potentially streaming services like YouTube TV that distribute local TV stations. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who opposed the 2023 regulation as not serving the public interest, said he was “pleased to see that the court agrees and has vacated that regulation.” The National Association of Broadcasters hailed the ruling. “This is a major step forward for local television broadcasters seeking to compete and thrive in a vastly transformed media marketplace,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. In the ruling, the three-judge panel vacated the FCC’s Top-Four rule, which states that a firm may own only one local TV station ranked among the top four in terms of ratings (which are often the local Big Four stations). (More after paywall, including PDF of ruling.)
