The FCC is planning to improve the way it integrates more media

The Federal Communications Commission will vote next month on whether a single company can own radio stations that reach more than 39% of US TV households.

In a Breitbart op-ed On Wednesday, Republican Chairman Brendan Carr announced a vote on August 6 to repeal the national ownership law, which was intended to prevent a single company from dominating the media and empower local communities. Carr argued that the rise of social media and broadcasting would make the law obsolete, as national broadcasters could reach “100 percent of the country” without the need for public broadcasters. In this sense, the comparison of local TV owners at 39 percent “prevents them from having access to the same level that their competitors are free to enjoy.”

The FCC has has already said is removing the ownership cap at the same time to allow for a $6.2 billion deal between Nexstar and Tegna. A federal judge enter the agreement where the problem of attorneys general is playing out.

Carr’s opponents warn that repealing the law would harm local media through reduced competition, and that only Congress, which established the cap, has the power to raise or eliminate it. “The Commission cannot remove the limits because these companies want to leave,” Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said in a statement. words. Advertisers are already free to create their own websites or television stations, just like anyone else, said Matt Wood, vice president of policy and general counsel at the nonprofit Free Press. “The national cap is not a unique problem for broadcasters,” he said in a statement. “In fact, broadcasters have a unique opportunity to have their own licenses to use premium quality radio in the way they do.”

Carr just needs the help of Republican Commissioner Olivia Trusty to get his proposal approved. But even after the vote, it could face challenges if the FCC has the power to remove the cap.