Viacom

FCC Approves $35.6 Billion Viacom-CBS Merger Despite Ownership Concentration Violations

| Importance: 8/10

The Federal Communications Commission approves Viacom’s $35.6 billion acquisition of CBS Corporation despite the merger violating FCC regulations prohibiting one company from owning television stations reaching more than 35% of the U.S. audience and prohibiting ownership of two networks if one …

Viacom CBS Corporation Sumner Redstone Mel Karmazin FCC Federal Communications Commission media-consolidation telecommunications merger fcc deregulation +2 more
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Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act: Disney Lobbying Creates 'Mickey Mouse Protection Act,' Extending Corporate Rent Extraction by 20 Years

| Importance: 9/10

President Bill Clinton signs the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA), extending copyright terms by 20 years—from life plus 50 years to life plus 70 years for individual authors, and from 75 to 95 years for corporate works. The legislation, derisively nicknamed the ‘Mickey Mouse …

Walt Disney Company Bill Clinton Time Warner Universal Viacom +2 more intellectual-property copyright regulatory-capture corporate-lobbying disney +2 more
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Telecommunications Act of 1996 Eliminates Radio Ownership Caps and Raises TV Limits, Triggering Massive Media Consolidation

| Importance: 10/10

President Bill Clinton signs the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law, eliminating the national cap on radio station ownership (previously 40 stations maximum) and increasing the television audience reach cap from 25% to 35%, triggering one of the largest media consolidation waves in American …

Bill Clinton U.S. Congress Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Clear Channel Communications Viacom +1 more media-consolidation deregulation telecommunications-act corporate-lobbying fcc +2 more
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