The NAB has urged the FCC to eliminate or significantly relax longstanding local broadcast ownership limits, with a strong focus on deregulating radio rules, in comments filed this week as part of the agency's delayed 2022 Quadrennial Regulatory Review.
NAB argues that decades-old local radio ownership caps are outdated in a media landscape dominated by unregulated digital audio giants like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and SiriusXM, which face no similar restrictions and can serve national audiences without limits.
NAB contends that current rules force broadcasters into inefficient structures, ultimately harming listeners by curbing investment, innovation, and diverse local programming. It cites a BIA Advisory Services report showing that loosening caps could boost programming diversity, mirroring gains seen after Congress relaxed rules in the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
The filing also calls for modernizing the remaining local television ownership restriction—which generally caps station groups at two full-power TV stations per market—arguing that TV broadcasters face comparable competitive pressures from digital platforms.