Senate blocks media ownership rules

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As anticipated US Senators have voted to block the new media ownership rules. The regulations, which would allow large media companies to buy more newspapers and local television stations, were passed by the Federal Communication Commission in June this year. The Senate voted 55-40 to pass a "resolution of disapproval", which would overturn the new ownership limits. The measure now moves to the House of Representatives and then to the White House, which has already threatened to veto any attempt to block the rules. The most controversial changes included eliminating a ban on one company owning a television station and newspaper in the same market. The FCC also increased the "national television cap" to 45 per cent. The cap formerly limited networks - ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox - to owning local stations that, combined, reached 35 per cent of the national audience