FCC under Michael Powell votes to raise national audience-reach cap to 45%; Third Circuit reverses a year later

The FCC voted 3-2 along party lines on June 2, 2003, to raise the national television audience-reach cap from 35% to 45% and further loosen local cross-ownership rules. The vote, championed by Chairman Michael Powell, triggered an unusual public backlash — the commission received more than 3 million public comments opposing the rules. In June 2004, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ownership-cap increase in Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC, finding the commission's justification inadequate.