Prometheus: Court Should Deny Broadcaster Motions

Prometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project have asked the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to deny broadcasters' requests that the court allow them to argue against Prometheus et al.'s challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's broadcast deregulation.

Prometheus and Media Mobilizing Project last week asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to block the FCC's November broadcast ownership deregulation and direct the commission to better gauge the impact of its deregulatory decision on diversity. That drew pushback from various broadcasters, who asked the court to allow them to weigh in on why Prometheus was off base and the FCC decision should stand.

In its response to the court, Prometheus et al. said none of the broadcaster arguments against the stay get to the nub of the issue, which is "whether and how the FCC has complied with the prior mandates of the Court," specifically its directive on gauging the impact on diversity. "While NAB/Sinclair’s proposed opposition briefly alludes to the merits of Citizen Petitioners’ arguments," Prometheus said, "they merely parrot the FCC’s own decision and add nothing to what the Commission can and has said in its properly-filed response to this Court’s January 25, 2018 Order."