FCC Scraps National TV Ownership Cap in 3-2 Vote, Opening Door to Broadcast Consolidation

The FCC voted along party lines today to eliminate the decades-old 39% cap on national broadcast TV ownership, a move expected to trigger a wave of mergers and reshape the American media landscape.

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 today to repeal the national broadcast television ownership cap, eliminating a rule that for decades prevented any single company from reaching more than 39% of U.S. television households.

The party-line vote delivers a major win for large broadcast groups like Nexstar, Sinclair, and Fox, which have lobbied for years to dismantle the restriction. The cap, first established in 2004 and upheld by courts multiple times since, was designed to preserve localism and diversity in broadcast media by preventing excessive concentration of ownership.

What changes: A single broadcaster can now own stations that collectively reach any percentage of the national audience. The ruling does not affect local ownership limits — a single company still cannot own more than one of the top-four-rated stations in a given market — but removes the national ceiling entirely.

The stakes: The decision comes amid a broader reshaping of media regulation under the Trump-era FCC. Nexstar, already the largest owner of local TV stations in the country with roughly 200 outlets, has been pursuing a merger with TEGNA, another major station group. That deal — and others like it — now faces one fewer regulatory hurdle.

Critics push back: Democratic commissioners and public-interest groups warned the repeal will accelerate the hollowing-out of local newsrooms. Commissioner Anna Gomez said in her dissent that "fewer owners means fewer voices." The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters had urged the FCC to keep the cap in place, arguing consolidation disproportionately harms minority-owned stations.

What's next: Industry analysts expect a wave of dealmaking in the coming months as station groups recalibrate their portfolios. The immediate beneficiaries are publicly traded broadcasters, whose stock prices rose on the news.

The rule change marks the most significant deregulation of broadcast television ownership in two decades.

Sources: NBC News, Deadline, Variety, Politico, New York Post