Regulatory Challenges Facing Television and Cable

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Though cable cut into broadcast TV’s viewership, both types of programming came under scrutiny from the U.S. government. Initially, thanks to extensive lobbying efforts, cable growth was suppressed to ensure that local broadcasters and traditional TV networks’ ad-revenue streams were not harmed by the emergence of cable. Later, as cable developed, FCC officials worried that power and profits were growing increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer industry players’ hands. Therefore, the commission set out to mitigate the situation through a variety of other rules and regulations.