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House Energy and Commerce chair praises FCC 'deregulation' and urges modernization of media ownership caps
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Summary
In opening remarks at an oversight hearing, the subcommittee chair described the FCC's 2025 agenda as "deregulation," urged the commission to revisit broadcast ownership caps to help local stations compete, and cited a bipartisan letter from more than 70 members urging review.
At an Energy and Commerce subcommittee oversight hearing, the subcommittee chair said the Federal Communications Commission had "an active 2025 that can be summed up in 1 word, deregulation," and urged the agency to modernize its broadcast ownership rules to support local journalism.
The chair said he led "a bipartisan letter with more than 70 members" calling on the FCC to revisit ownership caps, arguing that current limits prevent broadcasters from combining or expanding operations and constrain their ability to invest in local newsrooms. He said local broadcasters remain "the most trusted sources of news for most Americans" but now face competition from well-resourced new entrants, including major technology platforms.
The chair warned that outdated rules have contributed to newsroom closures and a growing concentration of influence among national networks and social media platforms. He said updating ownership caps would "help ensure broadcasters remain viable and competitive without creating monopolies" and would "empower local stations to better compete against dominant platforms."
The chair framed the ownership review as part of the FCC's broader deregulatory effort, asking commissioners to "keep these realities in mind" as they pursue regulatory changes. He did not propose specific statutory language or a timetable for rulemaking during the opening remarks.
The chair closed by thanking the commissioners for appearing and said he looked forward to the hearing's conversations.
