Prometheus Files Challenge to Ownership Changes

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, January 19, 2018

FCC

Prometheus Radio Project and other public interest groups have filed a Petition for Review of the FCC's Order relaxing certain broadcast ownership rules. In November, the Commission voted 3-2 to eliminate the newspaper/broadcast and radio/television cross-ownership rules, as well other TV duopoly rules. Filed in the Third Circuit, the petition claims the agency "ignores evidence in the record, misinterprets evidence, and fails to consider important aspects of the record."

In the petition, Prometheus argued that the FCC under Chiarman Ajit Pai failed to respond to the Third Circuit's previous rulings that required the agency acquire better data on ownership diversity before deregulating.

"The Commission's Reconsideration Order once again fails to satisfy this court's remands in either Prometheus II or III," said Prometheus. "As was the case in the Second Report and Order, and despite this court's instruction in Prometheus III to gather and analyze more ownership data if necessary, the commission did not collect such data or conduct the studies necessary to make a reasoned decision with respect to the impact of rule changes on ownership diversity and retained the revenue-based definition of 'eligible entity' previously found arbitrary and capricious by this court."