Former FCC Leaders Question Future Of Broadcast Regulation. | Story |…

Former FCC commissioners argue the legal doctrine justifying broadcast regulation—spectrum scarcity—no longer holds in an era of streaming, social media, and digital platforms, and predict the Supreme Court may eventually overturn it, which would significantly constrain the FCC's regulatory authority over broadcasters. If the Supreme Court kills the spectrum-scarcity doctrine, the FCC loses its legal hook to regulate broadcast content—which means local radio and TV stations could operate under rules that apply to Netflix or YouTube, not the 1969 Red Lion precedent. You now have a clear regulatory path to either compete harder or lobby for the outcome you want.