The FCC is set to have five commissioners, which means the National Association of Broadcasters can proceed with any goals that were deadlocked 2-2 along party lines.
As a result, the NAB’s president, Curtis LeGeyt, hopes the agency will be “more ambitious” in its goals now that there will be five commissioners. According to LeGeyt, the commission can implement “necessary reforms” that will benefit the radio and television industries if they have a full boat.
“An FCC fully seated with all five commissioners can be the catalyst to keep broadcasting strong for the millions who depend on our free, locally focused service,” LeGeyt wrote. “Broadcasters desperately need the FCC to modernize broadcast ownership rules dating back decades.
“As broadcasters fight for audiences and advertisers with much larger competitors, having the scale to compete will allow us to continue to improve the quality and local focus of programming that is our competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.”
LeGeyt believes the FCC should provide more certainty in its merger review process, including timely voting on deal approval.
Despite his regulatory wish list, LeGeyt acknowledges broadcasters should be grateful for this year’s outcome. Most radio stations will pay lower fees this year due to the FCC’s annual fee structure updates.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
