FCC Has Until Feb. 2 to Answer Third Circuit

The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit told the Federal Communications Commission to respond to a request that the court stay implementation of the FCC's December media regulation rule rollback. In a petition for an emergency writ of mandamus, Prometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project had asked the court to block the Feb. 7 implementation of the FCC's November broadcast ownership deregulation decision and direct the FCC to better gauge the impact of that decision on media ownership diversity before proceeding. In has long been arguing that commissions under both Republicans and Democrats have failed to follow the Third Circuit's directive to consider diversity in its periodic reviews of its broadcast ownership rules. The court gave the FCC until 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, to respond to Prometheus et al.