FCC to Revisit Media Ownership Rules

At the heels of an announcement by media conglomerate Clear Channel that it was interested in purchasing the ABC radio division from Disney, the FCC is set to begin its court-ordered look-see at media ownership.

A top FCC official says the process could take up eight months or more to complete.

The Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote July 14 on launching a broad reconsideration of rules that limit common ownership of multiple TV stations in a locality, and that restrict cross-ownership of TV, radio and other media within a community, said Kathleen Abernathy, an FCC commissioner.

Abernathy said the agency would conduct a "very open and broad" reconsideration of the ownership rules.

The FCC in 2003 voted to loosen the regulations, but a federal appeals court blocked the rules and sent them back, saying the agency had not sufficiently justified the limits it set.

The forthcoming rulemaking includes consideration of the rule barring common ownership of broadcast stations and nearby daily newspapers, Abernathy said.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has expressed in concluding the agency's work on the newspaper-broadcast rule, and he could separate it from the other rules as the proceeding matures.

Abernathy, a Republican who is serving past the end of her term as the White House searches for a successor, said she expects a replacement to be named by the end of the summer.

Source: MediaWeek