NEWSReport No. MM 96-14      MASS MEDIA ACTION                March 8, 1996

       COMMISSION IMPLEMENTS BROADCAST TELEVISION NATIONAL OWNERSHIP
                      AND DUAL NETWORKING PROVISIONS 
                   OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996

     Pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 ("Telecom Act"), the Commission has
revised its rules regarding the limitations on national television ownership.  Also in accordance
with the Telecom Act, the Commission revised its rules with respect to dual networking
operations. 

     The Commission has revised its rules, as directed by the Telecom Act, to eliminate the
numerical limits on national television ownership and raise the national audience reach limitation
to 35 percent.  

     The Commission has also revised its rules, as directed by the Telecom Act, to permit a
television broadcast station to affiliate with a person or entity that maintains two or more
networks of television broadcast stations unless such dual or multiple networks are composed
of 1) two or more persons or entities that are "networks" as defined by Section 73.3613(a)(1)
of the Commission's Rules on the date of enactment of the Telecom Act (i.e., the ABC, CBS,
NBC, and Fox television networks), or 2) any such network and an English-language program
distribution service that, on the date of enactment of the Telecom Act, provides four or more
hours of programming per week on a national basis pursuant to network affiliation arrangements
with local television broadcast stations in markets reaching more than 75 percent of television
homes (i.e., the UPN and WB television networks).

     Action by the Commission March 7, 1996, by Order (FCC 96-91).  Chairman Hundt,
Commissioners Quello, Barrett, Ness and Chong.


                                   -FCC-

     News Media contact: Patricia A. Chew at (202) 418-0500.
     Mass Media Bureau contact: Alan E. Aronowitz at (202) 418-2130.