NAB Seeks Ownership Overhaul Documents

Unhappy with  FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal to revamp the broadcast ownership rules, the NAB today demanded the documentation undergirding the proposal.

Citing the Freedom of Information Act, the NAB asked the FCC for “studies, reports, articles, presentations, empirical data, surveys and/or internet sources” used in formulating the proposal.

The proposal, which is subject to a full vote of the commission, would restore the ban against joint sales agreements, which was struck down by a federal court earlier this year, but would otherwise keep the ownership limits intact.

The demand for the thinking behind the proposal suggests that the NAB will challenge the rules in court if, as expected, they are adopted by the full commission.

The FCC “offered nothing new to justify” keeping the ownership restrictions in place, said one broadcast official.