FCC Chairman Carr plans to repeal the 39 percent national TV ownership cap, with a vote scheduled for August 6. The move would replace the cap with case-by-case reviews allowing mergers to exceed the limit if they advance "localism, viewpoint diversity, and competition."

Commissioner Anna Gomez, the only Democrat on the three-member FCC, called the plan an "unlawful effort to hand control of the public airwaves to billionaire buddies of this administration." She warned it "will destroy local newsrooms, silence community reporting, and drive up costs for the American families who depend on local stations for news and emergency alerts."

Carr argued in a Breitbart op-ed that the current rule prevents broadcasters from achieving scale to challenge competitors, stating the country needs "a little less Hollywood and a little more local reporting." Critics, including Gomez, say only Congress can change the cap, citing a 2003 precedent where Congress overrode an FCC increase to 45 percent and explicitly barred the commission from modifying the limit.