Telecom Act of 1996 lifts 12-station TV cap, allows duopolies in large markets, and triggers first consolidation wave

President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on February 8, raising the national TV audience-reach cap from 25% to 35% and eliminating the 12-station numerical ceiling entirely. The act also allowed a single company to own two TV stations (a duopoly) in the same market under certain conditions, opening the door to the first major wave of local TV consolidation. Within five years, the top five broadcast groups roughly doubled their station counts.