# 2026-23040: FCC Scraps the Rule Limiting National TV Station Ownership

2026-23040, National Television Multiple Ownership Rule, is a Federal Register rule from Federal Communications Commission published 2026-11-12, effective 2027-01-11; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-23040
- As of: 2026-11-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-23040
- Title: National Television Multiple Ownership Rule
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Federal Communications Commission
- Citation: 91 FR 72799
- Published: 2026-11-12
- Effective: 2027-01-11
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-11-12

## In one line

FCC Scraps the Rule Limiting National TV Station Ownership

## Summary

The FCC is scrapping the old rule that stopped TV companies from owning stations reaching more than 39% of the U.S. audience. This change, effective January 11, 2027, lets broadcasters grow and better serve local communities while the FCC checks big deals case-by-case to keep things fair and diverse. TV station owners and media companies should get ready for new opportunities and careful reviews.

## Abstract

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) repeals the national television multiple ownership rule (national cap), which prohibits a commercial television licensee from having a cognizable interest in television stations that have an aggregate national audience reach above 39%. The Commission finds, given seismic changes in the modern media marketplace, that the rule's repeal will help empower local broadcast television stations to operate in the public interest and to better serve the needs and interests of their local communities. The Commission will review on a case-by-case basis proposed transactions that would have been prohibited under the national cap to determine whether a proposed transaction would serve the Commission's media ownership goals of localism, competition, and viewpoint diversity.

## Effects PRIA read

- Broadcasters Can Seek Bigger National Reach: benefit, high. If you own or run TV stations, the FCC repealed the 39% national audience cap effective January 11, 2027, so you can now propose owning stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. television households. The rule had previously allowed an owner to reach up to 78% using the 50% UHF discount; repeal is…
- Deals Above 39% Subject To Case-By-Case Review: mixed, medium. If you propose a TV station transaction that would have been barred by the 39% cap, the FCC will now review it case-by-case rather than automatically banning it. The Commission will decide approvals based on whether a deal serves its media ownership goals of localism, competition, and viewpoint div…
- Commenters Warn Of Possible Consumer Harms: cost, medium. Some supporters of the old rule warned that repealing the 39% cap could lead to less local programming, higher retransmission consent fees, and higher multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) subscription prices, and could cause job losses for journalists and communications workers. The FC…

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## Sources
- [2026-23040 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/11/12/2026-23040/national-television-multiple-ownership-rule)
- [2026-23040 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-11-12/pdf/2026-23040.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-23027, Safety Zone; Sector Mobile Captain of the Port Zone, Mobile, AL](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-23027)
- [Next: 2026-23041, Television Broadcasting Services, St. George, Utah](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-23041)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-23040 (as of 2026-11-12).