Goodlatte Critical of FCC's Broadcast Media Ownership Rules

Statement

Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) release of its Media Ownership Rules:

Chairman Goodlatte: "Today, the FCC continues its recent tradition of advancing unnecessary and burdensome regulations on a partisan basis while ignoring new technologies and market realities, with the likely outcome of harming competition. While the goal of preventing the consolidation of media power in the hands of an elite few has merit, the FCC has again overreacted. This time, it has reacted in a way that is likely to harm the objectives of smaller media outlets eager to compete."

Background: Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress requires the FCC to conduct a review every four years of the FCC's broadcast ownership rules and determine whether the rules are necessary in light of changing competitive conditions. The last time the FCC fulfilled this legal obligation was a decade ago. Furthermore, its past reviews have been embroiled in litigation requiring the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to remand significant components of past rulemakings back to the FCC. Most recently, the Third Circuit struck down the FCC's latest attempt at issuing a broadcast media ownership rule. Today, the FCC attempts to fulfill its quadrennial review obligations by issuing its broadcast media ownership rules.

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