State Groups: Hill Should Advance Minority Broadcaster Ownership Tax Certificate Bill

Fifty state-level broadcasters’ groups urged congressional leaders Thursday to move forward on the Broadcast Varied Ownership Incentives for Community Expanded Service Act (HR-8072/S-4158), which would restore the minority ownership tax certificate (see 2404230057). HR-8072/S-4158, like previous iterations (see 2108120054), would also direct that the FCC make recommendations on improving ownership diversity. Broadcasters’ “strength is in our ability to cover diverse community experiences and tell stories from an authentic perspective,” the broadcasters said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the chambers’ minority leaders. “The tax certificate program will help us build a local media landscape that reflects our communities on the air, both in the control booth and boardroom.” HR-8072/S-4158 will also “help with building a pipeline for a new generation of broadcast station owners that is inclusive of women, people of color and other underrepresented individuals,” the group said.