Comcast Resisting FCC Idea of Denying 39% Cap Relief to NBC
EchoStar Tuesday announced it will sell its 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz spectrum licenses − totaling 50 megahertz of nationwide spectrum − to AT&T for about $23 billion.
FCC: Comcast’s NBC Network has a simple message for FCC Chairman Brendan Carr: Don’t even try. The Big Four network and Carr could potentially be nearing conflict over the 39% national TV household audience cap. Carr’s team floated a plan to lift the cap for station groups like Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Inc. but not for the Big Four Networks, which individually also own dozens of local TV stations. Comcast/NBCU owns 11 NBC stations, including outlets in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Can the FCC lawfully exclude NBC from 39% cap relief? “The answer is no. Differential treatment of broadcast licensees based on their ownership has no basis in law or policy,” said NBCUniversal Media Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Angela Ball in an Aug. 22 filing with the FCC.
