The FCC is considering abolishing what has been called the third rail in broadcasting politics, the national ownership cap. This cap is set at 39%, which means station owners cannot own more than 39% of the affiliates of a national broadcaster’s network.
The move is being considered to allow, theoretically, conservative affiliate owners a chance to push back against anti-American broadcasting, with the Jimmy Kimmel kerfuffle being the foil for the theoretical action.
President Donald J. Trump continues to shake Washington to its core, highlighting and reforming issues that have been on the back burner for decades. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — led by Brendan Carr, Anna Gomez, and Olivia Trusty — is no exception, publicly raising the specter of abolishing the FCC’s national ownership cap.
For the media establishment, this is like touching the third rail. For generations, from Dan Rather to Jimmy Kimmel, Americans have been force-fed a steady diet of liberalism from the big three television channels.
Ending the ownership cap would allow conservative local broadcasters to compete with the likes of networks ABC and force broadcasts to actually reflect the country’s values.