President Trump indicated this that he would strongly oppose any move by the Federal Communications Commission to eliminate the longstanding national television ownership cap, which prevents any single company from reaching more than 39 percent of U.S. households through owned stations. The statement marks a rare public divergence between the president and Brendan Carr, his hand-picked FCC chairman, who has spent years arguing that the restriction is an obsolete barrier preventing local broadcasters from scaling up to compete with dominant technology platforms. This comes as Nexstar is trying to buy more ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC locals from Tegna and has asked the FCC to approve the deal breaking the 39% rule.
The cap, established by Congress in 2004, has become a flashpoint in the media industry since Trump’s election victory. Large station groups have interpreted the new administration as friendly to deregulation and have moved aggressively to announce multibillion-dollar mergers on the assumption that the limit would soon disappear. Those expectations now face uncertainty after the president’s intervention.
Carr has consistently maintained that the FCC retains authority to modify or repeal the cap without new legislation, a position shared by the National Association of Broadcasters, the industry’s leading trade organization. The group contends that the rule hampers the ability of local stations to achieve necessary economies of scale in an era when advertising revenue increasingly flows to Google, Meta, and other digital giants. Consumer advocates and some smaller broadcasters, however, insist that Congress stripped the commission of flexibility over the cap two decades ago, leaving any significant change to require an act of lawmakers.
Complicating the debate is opposition from Newsmax, whose chief executive, Christopher Ruddy, has emerged as an outspoken critic of deregulation in recent weeks. Ruddy, a longtime acquaintance of the president, has argued that removing the cap would primarily benefit large network-affiliated station groups at the expense of independent and conservative-leaning outlets. He has warned that further consolidation could reduce the diversity of political voices on television, particularly those sympathetic to Republican viewpoints.
The president’s comments, posted on Truth Social alongside a link to coverage of Ruddy’s position, focused heavily on established broadcast networks. Trump described certain major outlets as effectively operating as extensions of Democratic political efforts and declared that their reach should be curtailed rather than expanded. The remarks appeared to align closely with concerns raised by Newsmax while putting Carr and the broader station-owner community in an awkward position.
The president’s comments, posted on Truth Social alongside a link to coverage of Ruddy’s position, focused heavily on established broadcast networks. Trump described certain major outlets as effectively operating as extensions of Democratic political efforts and declared that their reach should be curtailed rather than expanded. The remarks appeared to align closely with concerns raised by Newsmax while putting Carr and the broader station-owner community in an awkward position.
Station groups have since sought to navigate the president’s stance carefully. Nexstar issued a statement acknowledging agreement with Trump that existing rules are outdated while continuing to press for modernization of ownership limits. Other companies have adopted similar language, attempting to thread the needle between deference to the White House and pursuit of long-sought regulatory relief.
The FCC formally initiated its latest quadrennial review of broadcast ownership regulations in September and is currently accepting public comment on multiple rules, including the national cap. Although Carr has not yet signaled a final decision, the review process provides the commission with a procedural vehicle to act if it chooses. Whether the agency will move forward in light of the president’s publicly stated unhappiness remains unclear.
The episode underscores the complex interplay of politics, personality, and policy inside the new administration’s approach to media regulation. Local broadcasters, having celebrated Trump’s victory as opening the door to long-delayed mergers, now confront the possibility that loyalty to certain allies could override broader deregulatory goals. For the moment, multibillion-dollar deals hang in the balance as companies, regulators, and the White House sort out where the administration ultimately intends to land.
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