FCC Should Eliminate Cross-Ownership Rules, NAB Says

Broadcast cross-ownership rules should be eliminated, NAB said in a meeting with FCC Media Bureau staff Thursday, said an ex parte filing posted online Monday in docket 14-50. “Retaining the cross-ownership rules in today’s media market would be arbitrary and capricious,” NAB said. The market has changed as newspapers have greatly declined while online news has become much more competitive and diverse, NAB said. “This should not come as a surprise, as the Commission, in contexts other than the broadcast ownership rules, has recognized the revolutionary nature of the Internet on competition and diversity.”