NAB Lobbies FCC Republicans on 'Analog-Era' Ownership Rules

It's “long past time” the FCC “should have recognized the wide range of competitors local radio stations face for audiences and advertising revenues,” the NAB said in meetings last week with aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington, according to a pair of similar ex parte filings posted in docket 18-349 Friday. The agency urgently needs to reform “analog-era” ownership rules for local TV and radio, especially in small markets, NAB said in the filings. The trade group also said the FCC shouldn’t crack down on TV broadcasters using low-power TV stations and multicast channels to air top-four network programming (see 2312060065). “The FCC’s previous determinations that the local TV ownership rule should not be applied to streams of programming or LPTV stations remain valid today,” NAB said.