Key Points:

• NBC Universal told the FCC it should not impose different ownership caps on network-owned stations compared to independent broadcasters.
• The NAB and many station groups want caps removed, but NBC and Comcast did not support that effort.
• NBC Universal said excluding network-owned stations from cap relief would harm localism and weaken community news coverage.

Comcast’s NBC Universal has urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject a proposal to carve out separate rules for television stations owned by broadcast networks and those owned by independent station groups.

In a recent filing, NBC Universal said the FCC lacked both the authority and constitutional grounds to impose a so-called “two-tier” ownership system that would hold network-owned stations to stricter caps. The company was responding to a question in a commission notice asking whether stations unaffiliated with ABC, CBS, NBC, or Fox should be excluded from the national ownership cap if the rule is retained.

“The answer is no,” NBC Universal wrote. “Differential treatment of broadcast licensees based on their ownership has no basis in law or policy.”

The filing comes as the FCC reviews its broadcast ownership rules, a process that has drawn competing positions from broadcasters and policymakers. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has called for eliminating the ownership cap altogether, a position endorsed by many station groups. NBC and its owned-and-operated stations did not join that request. Comcast, NBC Universal’s parent company, is a member of the NCTA cable trade group, which opposes lifting ownership limits.

Fox’s owned stations and the NAB have also rejected proposals for a two-tiered ownership framework, arguing it would unfairly penalize network owned-and-operated stations. Few organizations have pushed for the proposal; the FCC itself seemed to be the first to float the idea when it opened a potential refresh of ownership rules to public comment earlier this year.

The issue has gained political attention amid repeated claims of bias in network news coverage from President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr. Trump has called on the FCC to revoke licenses of ABC and NBC stations, though the agency does not license broadcast networks and cannot revoke licenses it does not issue. Carr has said the FCC could revoke individual station licenses and has expressed interest in reducing or eliminating ownership caps to benefit local broadcasters.

In its filing, NBC Universal argued that excluding network-owned stations from potential cap relief would undermine localism. “NBC Universal is a local broadcaster,” the company said, noting it owns 36 stations across 16 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico that collectively employ more than 4,000 people and produce over 150 hours of local news and programming daily.

“Thus, to the extent the FCC’s goal in revisiting the national television ownership cap is the promotion of localism, that goal is only furthered by affording the same treatment to all local television stations, regardless of ownership,” NBC Universal wrote.

—

Read more:

• Newsmax CEO: FCC lacks authority to eliminate broadcast ownership cap
• Appeals court issues mixed ruling on FCC’s broadcast ownership rules
• NAB CEO says FCC should eliminate broadcast ownership caps
• Nexstar asks local TV station executives to support media deregulation
• Trump suggests pulling broadcast licenses of NBC, ABC stations