The Federal Communications Commission, under chairman Brendan Carr, has been moving to dismantle what remains of U.S. media ownership limits. According to Techdirt, Carr's efforts are aimed at enabling consolidation among Trump-friendly local broadcasters such as Sinclair, Tegna, and Nexstar.
Now the cable industry is pushing back. Major cable companies plan to sue the FCC, claiming that the agency's move to kill ownership limits is unlawful. The lawsuit marks an unusual turn, as cable giants have often favored deregulation, but here they are opposing a policy that would allow broadcasters to grow even larger.
The irony is central to the fight: the same consolidation rules that cable companies are now invoking were once seen as a check on media concentration. If the lawsuit succeeds, it could slow Carr's agenda and preserve some limits on broadcast ownership; if it fails, the way may be open for further mergers among local TV giants.