FCC national TV ownership cap repeal

US agency ends 39% local TV station ownership cap

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FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced last month his intent to seek repeal of the 39% cap at the August 6 open meeting.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced last month that he would seek to end the 39% national television ownership cap during a Thursday open meeting. Carr has long criticized the restriction, arguing that it should be repealed to provide essential relief for local broadcasters and restore balance against the growing leverage of national programmers.

Linking the decision to the decline of local newspapers, Carr stated that the rule, originally maintained in the name of localism, contributed to the gutting of local press. He expressed a desire to prevent local broadcast television from following the same path as local newspapers.

The move has faced significant criticism, including from Senator Elizabeth Warren, who accused Carr of attempting to rewrite rules to benefit billionaires. Additionally, Reporters Without Borders North America stated that the FCC has abandoned a significant safeguard against the excessive concentration of media ownership in the United States, while protesters demonstrated outside the FCC building in Washington.

The FCC approved the $3.54 billion sale of Tegna to Nexstar in March 2026, waiving the 39% ownership cap.

In March 2026, the FCC approved the $3.54 billion sale of local television station owner Tegna to Nexstar. To facilitate this transaction, the commission waived the 39% ownership cap, a limit that had been in place for local broadcast stations since 1941 and was most recently raised to its current level in 2004.

The acquisition is expected to expand Nexstar's presence to cover 80% of U.S. TV households, provided it is not reversed by courts.

The FCC raised the national TV ownership cap to 39% in 2004 as part of a regulatory compromise.

The FCC has maintained limits on the ownership of local broadcast stations since 1941. In 2003, a compromise was reached by congressional negotiators that led to the national audience reach cap being set at 39%.

This 39% threshold was most recently applied to national TV ownership following that regulatory arrangement.