Sen. Paul introduces bill to lift federal antitrust regulations on local news outlet ownership

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has introduced the Local News and Broadcast Media Preservation Act to “eliminate the local and national caps on radio and television ownership” to allow “maximum flexibility for competition and negotiation,” according to the senator’s office. 

“With the rise of social media and an ever-changing media landscape, it is imperative that our local newspapers and broadcasters are given the freedom to adapt. My Local News and Broadcast Media Preservation Act gets government out of the way and frees broadcast media from the chains that restrict their ability to better serve their customers,” said Dr. Paul in a statement on Thursday.

Under the bill, “print, broadcast, and digital news organizations” would be exempt from “federal antitrust laws to allow them to compete with and negotiate with national tech companies,” Paul’s office said.

Local broadcast companies could also “merge without government interference to allow those broadcasters to better compete against these tech giants” if the bill became law, according to Paul’s office.