NAB: Keep JSA Challenge In DC

The National Association of Broadcasters has told the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit that the four challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's decision to make most TV joint sales agreements attributable as ownership interest should not be moved to the Third Circuit. That was the court that initially remanded the FCC's decade-old ownership rule revise back to the commission, where issues related to deregulation and diversity have yet to be resolved.

Prometheus Radio Project, which initially challenged the rule changes back in 2003, is one of the four challengers to the rules this time around as well (joined by Free Press, NABET, CWA and others) and filed in the Third Circuit. The DC circuit got the consolidated cases via lottery, which is how the court system decides when challenges are filed in multiple venues, but Prometheus petitioned to move the case to the Third, citing the precedent of the original challenge and decision out of that court.

NAB is challenging the FCC's decision to make joint sales agreements (JSA's) of over 15% attributable as ownership interests, saying the decision was arbitrary and capricious.