The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear several appeals from media companies that wanted the court to restore regulations making it easier for newspaper and broadcast companies to combine.
Without comment, justices let stand a lower court ruling that threw out the FCC regulations as unjustified. The media groups argued that the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should have upheld the new FCC rules in deference to the agency’s expertise.
Monday’s decision means the FCC will have to take another crack at revising its older set of ownership rules that the media groups say are inadequate to address the burgeoning cable television, satellite broadcasting and Internet markets.
