FCC Should Review the Effects of Broadcaster Agreements on Its Media Policy Goals

Competing television stations are entering into agreements to share or outsource services, and some policymakers are concerned about the effects of these agreements on competition and programming. The Government Accountability Office was asked to review issues related to broadcaster agreements.

This report examines (1) the uses and prevalence of broadcaster agreements; (2) stakeholders' views on the effects of broadcaster agreements; and (3) the extent, if at all, that Federal Communications Commission has regulated these agreements.

GAO recommends that the FCC should determine whether it needs to collect additional data to understand the prevalence and context of broadcast agreements and whether broadcaster agreements affect its media policy goals of competition, localism, and diversity.