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Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

nbcnews.com

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Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#31

Post by mulmen »

freediddy wrote: post #10

I haven't watched broadcast TV in over a decade, except for live sports. I also haven't listened to broadcast radio in even longer. My teenage children don't know how to use the TV or radio. It's like someone telling me a company has a monopoly on the telephone lines; nostalgic for me but utterly useless in 2026.

And you believe everyone is just like you? What are the consequences of consolidating ownership of broadcast stations? Remember the Kimmel incident? How does that go with even more consolidation?

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#32

Post by erickhill »

trollbridge wrote: post #7

Broadcast TV seems laughably irrelevant. It’s difficult to find official numbers, but under 1% of US households have no cable, satellite TV, home Internet, or a cell phone. The latter two are how people consume video and TV to a large degree today. In exchange, we have a great deal of spectrum tied up for terrestrial TV, much of which goes to running infomercials or else is surreptitiously leased for terrestrial data…

Except for live sports, for which it is still vastly superior - no subscription required.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#33

Post by mulmen »

trollbridge wrote: post #7

Broadcast TV seems laughably irrelevant. It’s difficult to find official numbers, but under 1% of US households have no cable, satellite TV, home Internet, or a cell phone. The latter two are how people consume video and TV to a large degree today. In exchange, we have a great deal of spectrum tied up for terrestrial TV, much of which goes to running infomercials or else is surreptitiously leased for terrestrial data…

This analysis doesn't pass the sniff test. The presence of cable, satellite, or internet access says nothing about broadcast TV viewership. This is ownership of the content creation of local stations, not just the broadcast towers. Those stations have a presence on social media and streaming services.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#34

Post by ilovetux »

Didn't the supreme court recently overturn the Chevron Doctrine?

Doesn't that mean agencies like this are not free to set their own rules when a law is ambiguous?

And isnt the cap on number of households reached actually codified unambiguously in federal law?

Seems to me like this should not be allowed to happen.

Let me know if I am wrong.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#35

Post by MrRadar »

wmf wrote: post #24
UncleOxidant wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in the US I get PBS on Channel 10 - there's 10.1 (straight PBS), 10.2 (PBS-World) and 10.3 (PBS kids) - do each of these take a separate 6MHz bandwidth, or are they packed into that single 6MHz bandwidth like in Europe?

Yeah, that's one channel. IMO it's wasteful to give PBS an entire 6 MHz.

Why shouldn't they get 6 MHz? My PBS station broadcasts 4 subchannels: the main PBS channel, PBS Kids, a channel with programming about our local region (which airs live coverage of our state legislature when it's in session), and a loop of weather information with audio from the local NOAA Weather Radio broadcast. Those are all useful public services. PBS Kids in particular I think has a very good reason to exist, considering the absolute wasteland that is young children's media on streaming.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#36

Post by sleepybrett »

s0ss wrote: post #22
freediddy wrote: post #10

I haven't watched broadcast TV in over a decade, except for live sports. I also haven't listened to broadcast radio in even longer. My teenage children don't know how to use the TV or radio. It's like someone telling me a company has a monopoly on the telephone lines; nostalgic for me but utterly useless in 2026.

most people aren't hn readers. broadcast tv is far from useless in 2026, that's how many normies watch tv.

this is all about allowing sinclair and their right wing ilk to own local news.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#37

Post by dyauspitr »

eigencoder wrote: post #9
dyauspitr wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but under 1% of US households have no cable, satellite TV, home Internet, or a cell phone. Why are you bundling all those things together? The only thing we care about here is cable or satellite TV for your argument.

Those are all the things that replace broadcast TV

Well, cell phones and home Internet theoretically also replace cable and satellite TV but that’s not really what you see in real life.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#38

Post by mulmen »

eigencoder wrote: post #9
dyauspitr wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but under 1% of US households have no cable, satellite TV, home Internet, or a cell phone. Why are you bundling all those things together? The only thing we care about here is cable or satellite TV for your argument.

Those are all the things that replace broadcast TV

They replace it for delivery. That's not what this is about. The change discussed here is about content creation. That content is already delivered through multiple channels.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#39

Post by mulmen »

trollbridge wrote: post #15
dyauspitr wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but under 1% of US households have no cable, satellite TV, home Internet, or a cell phone. Why are you bundling all those things together? The only thing we care about here is cable or satellite TV for your argument.

Because someone with access to those things has no need for rabbit ears. Broadcast TV today is a stream of bytes. The same stream can be delivered via cable, satellite, a cell phone, or home Internet.

This isn't about content delivery, it is about content creation. The rule change allows further centralization of editorial control of what your local reporters broadcast across all mediums.

Re: Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

#40

Post by eigencoder »

dyauspitr wrote: post #37
eigencoder wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are all the things that replace broadcast TV

Well, cell phones and home Internet theoretically also replace cable and satellite TV but that’s not really what you see in real life.

My 70 year old grandpa just cancelled his satellite TV in favor of streaming :)
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