Tom DeLay helped create TV ownership cap—he says Trump FCC has no authority to repeal it
Summary
Tom DeLay, a former House majority leader who helped create the TV ownership cap, says the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cannot legally remove the cap because it is set by law. Despite this, the FCC under Chairman Brendan Carr plans to vote on eliminating the cap, which currently limits any TV station owner from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households.Key Facts
- Tom DeLay helped write the rule that limits TV station owners to reaching no more than 39% of U.S. TV households.
- The 39% ownership cap is part of U.S. law, so DeLay says only Congress can change it, not the FCC.
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has proposed removing the 39% cap and replacing it with a review process for each merger.
- The FCC is scheduled to vote on this proposal soon.
- The TV ownership cap was first set by the FCC in 1985 and later changed by Congress several times.
- In 2004, Congress passed a law requiring the FCC to keep the cap at 39%, preventing the FCC from changing it on its own.
- Both Democratic and Republican FCC leaders have claimed some authority to change the cap in the past, but the 39% limit remains.
- Previously, the FCC allowed a media company to buy another company and exceed the 39% cap by granting a special waiver.
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