FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty is signaling a more flexible approach to media ownership policy, telling broadcasters the agency needs to take a fresh look at its rules in light of today\u2019s far more competitive audio landscape.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Trusty said traditional ownership limits have long been evaluated through three core goals \u2014 competition, diversity of voices, and localism. But she made clear those standards cannot be applied the same way they were decades ago, when broadcasters faced far fewer rivals for audience attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsumers today have more choices for audio and video content than ever before,\u201d she said, pointing to the explosion of digital platforms that now compete directly with radio for listening time.<\/p>\n
That shift, Trusty suggested, should shape how the FCC thinks about ownership restrictions. While she stopped short of endorsing specific rule changes, she warned against policies that focus too narrowly on broadcast competition without accounting for the broader marketplace. The agency, she said, should be cautious about rules that may have made sense in the past but now risk holding broadcasters back.<\/p>\n
Her comments come as broadcasters have pushed for relief from ownership caps, arguing they need greater scale to compete with streaming platforms, podcasts, and other digital audio services.<\/p>\n
Trusty acknowledged the FCC has a larger balancing act to contend with. On one hand, the FCC must preserve competition and ensure a diversity of voices. On the other, it must recognize that broadcasters are operating in a dramatically expanded media environment where they are no longer the dominant gatekeepers.<\/p>\n
Consolidation critics point to the potential loss of local programming, an Trusty said that localism remains a key factor in the ownership discussion. But she tied ownership policy to the broader health of the industry. Stronger economic footing, she suggested, will better position broadcasters to invest in local content, maintain trusted news operations, and continue fulfilling their public interest obligations.<\/p>\n
Trusty agreed broadcasters are at their best when they serve as trusted sources of local news and when providing critical information during emergencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring this year\u2019s winter storms, radio and TV stations across the country stayed on the air, providing updates on power outages, dangerous road conditions, and severe weather,\u201d she said. \u201cAll of this complements the essential role broadcasters play in the Emergency Alert System.\u201d<\/p>\n
After recent meeting with broadcasters in Kansas and Utah, Trusty said she also learned that many local news operates lose money on a standalone basis. She has concluded that allowing stations to get on stronger financial footing will put them in a better position to meet local community needs.<\/p>\n
Defends Controversial Policies<\/p>\n
Trusty also used her time in front of broadcasters to defend some of FCC Chair Brendan Carr\u2019s moves, which to critics have been seen as using agency policy to pressure media coverage of the administration. But Trusty said she sees the actions as part of enforcing \u201clongstanding duties\u201d of radio and TV.<\/p>\n
That partisan divide has played out in recent weeks over what is known as the bona fide news exemption<\/a>. During an election, it requires stations to give all candidates the same access to its airwaves. That has led to an FCC investigation of ABC-TV\u2019s \u201cThe View\u201d as well as a decision by late night host Steven Colbert to pull an interview with Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and run it online instead, criticizing the FCC in the process.<\/p>\n