FCC Approves 2018 Quad Order Late Friday

The FCC approved the 2018 quadrennial review order 3-2, according to an FCC official. The agency didn’t comment, and the order hasn’t yet been released. An FCC official confirmed that both FCC Republicans opposed the item. The order extends the agency’s prohibition on commonly owned top-four full-power network stations in a single market to include top-four programming streams, broadcast over multicast streams and low-power TV stations, according to FCC officials. Language has been added to the order since its circulation to make it clear that broadcasters can receive waivers of the ownership rules, an FCC official told us. Broadcasters are widely expected to challenge the order in court.