FCC Commissioner Signals Openness To Rethinking Ownership Rules.

FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty is signaling a more flexible approach to media ownership policy, telling broadcasters the agency needs to take a fresh look at its rules in light of today’s far more competitive audio landscape.

Speaking at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Trusty said traditional ownership limits have long been evaluated through three core goals — competition, diversity of voices, and localism. But she made clear those standards cannot be applied the same way they were decades ago, when broadcasters faced far fewer rivals for audience attention.

“Consumers today have more choices for audio and video content than ever before,” she said, pointing to the explosion of digital platforms that now compete directly with radio for listening time.

That shift, Trusty suggested, should shape how the FCC thinks about ownership restrictions. While she stopped short of endorsing specific rule changes, she warned against policies that focus too narrowly on broadcast competition without accounting for the broader marketplace. The agency, she said, should be cautious about rules that may have made sense in the past but now risk holding broadcasters back.

Her comments come as broadcasters have pushed for relief from ownership caps, arguing they need greater scale to compete with streaming platforms, podcasts, and other digital audio services.

Trusty acknowledged the FCC has a larger balancing act to contend with. On one hand, the FCC must preserve competition and ensure a diversity of voices. On the other, it must recognize that broadcasters are operating in a dramatically expanded media environment where they are no longer the dominant gatekeepers.

Consolidation critics point to the potential loss of local programming, an Trusty said that localism remains a key factor in the ownership discussion. But she tied ownership policy to the broader health of the industry. Stronger economic footing, she suggested, will better position broadcasters to invest in local content, maintain trusted news operations, and continue fulfilling their public interest obligations.

Trusty agreed broadcasters are at their best when they serve as trusted sources of local news and when providing critical information during emergencies.

“During this year’s winter storms, radio and TV stations across the country stayed on the air, providing updates on power outages, dangerous road conditions, and severe weather,” she said. “All of this complements the essential role broadcasters play in the Emergency Alert System.”

After recent meeting with broadcasters in Kansas and Utah, Trusty said she also learned that many local news operates lose money on a standalone basis. She has concluded that allowing stations to get on stronger financial footing will put them in a better position to meet local community needs.

Defends Controversial Policies

Trusty also used her time in front of broadcasters to defend some of FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s moves, which to critics have been seen as using agency policy to pressure media coverage of the administration. But Trusty said she sees the actions as part of enforcing “longstanding duties” of radio and TV.

That partisan divide has played out in recent weeks over what is known as the bona fide news exemption. During an election, it requires stations to give all candidates the same access to its airwaves. That has led to an FCC investigation of ABC-TV’s “The View” as well as a decision by late night host Steven Colbert to pull an interview with Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and run it online instead, criticizing the FCC in the process.

However, Trusty told broadcasters the agency is simply applying decades of FCC precedent, which has created a “practical, case-by-case framework.” She said for broadcasters already applying that case-by-case analysis, a January Media Bureau advisory was nothing more than a ‘helpful reminder” during an election year than marching orders to radio or TV.

Trusty also echoed Carr’s comments that have acknowledged that while trust in media has declined in recent years, local broadcasters still outperform national media.

“I have seen firsthand how broadcasters are working to maintain that trust through their daily operations,” she said. Trusty thinks FCC regulatory oversight helps to foster that accountability. “Oversight through their relationship with the community that encourages local journalists to prioritize balanced reporting,” she said.