The Federal Communications Commission expects its controversial
broadcast-ownership rules adopted in June to take effect Sept. 4, an agency
source said Tuesday.
FCC rulemakings generally become law 30 days after publication in the
Federal Register. Officials at the Federal Register have notified
the FCC that the projected publication date is Aug. 5, although they warned that
the date could a slip a day or two.
The Federal Register is published by the Office of the Federal
Register, National Archives and Records Administration. It is the official daily
publication for rules, proposed rules and notices of federal agencies and
organizations. The daily register also contains executive orders and other
presidential documents.
The FCC rules have come under attack on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers on a
bipartisan basis have accused the agency of relaxing the rules too much.
For example, in a large market like New York, one company could own a cable
system, three TV stations, a daily newspaper and up to eight radio
stations.
