Content Companies File Petition To Deny Against FCC Confidentiality Rule Change

The FCC should vacate its order allowing confidential contract information to be shared with third parties during the merger review process, said a petition to deny filed Tuesday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the same group of content companies that successfully challenged the rule’s earlier iteration in previous cable mergers, including CBS, the MPAA, Scripps and Univision. The new order “directly contravenes” the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision by requiring a showing of relevance rather than the “necessity” required by the court, the petition said. The FCC also adopted the order without prior notice and comment, violating the Administrative Procedure Act, the petition said.