Overwhelming Support Indicated For Relaxing Broadcast Foreign Ownership Restrictions

Norman Leventhal is a Partner in our Washington, D.C. office

In late February, the Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau invited comments from the public on changing its long-standing policy concerning foreign entities or persons owning more than 25% of a U.S. broadcast company. Specifically, the FCC Public Notice states that a request before it "asks the Commission to clarify that it will conduct a substantive, facts and circumstances evaluation of proposals for foreign investment in excess of 25 percent in the parent company of a broadcast licensee, consistent with and in furtherance of its authority under" Section 310(b)(4) of the Communications Act.

In an opening round of comments filed on April 15, there was virtually unanimous support for the change in process initially requested by the Coalition for Broadcast Investment (whose members included, among others, Univision, Disney, CBS, Clear Channel, Entravision, Hearst, LULAC, LIN Television,