The Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to ease local media ownership rules.
In 2017, the FCC eased rules that regulated local media ownership. The regulations prohibited one entity from owning a newspaper, as well as a TV or radio station in the same market. The regulations were enacted before the internet, and were viewed as outdated by many.
Critics argued that easing the restrictions would hurt minority and female ownership of media stations, according to The Seattle Times. The FCC’s decision was challenged, with a federal appeals court blocking the decision and forcing it to the Supreme Court.
Despite the FCC voting 3-2, along party lines, the Supreme Court voted unanimously in favor of the FCC’s decision.
“The FCC considered the record evidence on competition, localism, viewpoint diversity, and minority and female ownership, and reasonably concluded that the three ownership rules no longer serve the public interest,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court.