Third Circuit Court Won't Lift C/O Ownership Stay
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday said it would not lift its stay on the FCC's loosing of the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rules. Chief Judge Anthony Sirica said the court would like status reports from the parties by October 1. The court delayed its ruling in April reportedly so the rules could be reviewed by the Commission under a new chairman.
Earlier this year, the FCC's Media Bureau recently extended the deadline to file amendments to pending waiver requests or renewal applications that are seeking permanent waivers of the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule to this month. Cox Communications, Bonneville, Scranton Time and Morris Communications all have pending applications.
NAB had opposed efforts to overturn the loosening of the broadcast/newspaper cross-ownership ban, an action the trade group called a "minor reform." In a filing, NAB said there is no reason for the Commission to retreat from its recent modest revisions to the "outmoded" ban, which had not been reformed since its adoption in 1975.
