The decisions are part of a broad trend of mediaderegulation running through the courts and federal agencies since Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
The agency's deregulation in June 2003 of America's media-ownership rules (which limit the freedom of firms with public-broadcasting licences to buy other media companies) got partially reversed by Congress (in December 2003), and then put on ice altogether by the courts (in June 2004).
"One of the consequences of deregulation has been more format diversity, " contends Mark Fratrik, a vice president of media consultant BIAFinancial Network.