Article by:
U.S. Representative Steven Horsford
This month, I introduced new legislation to increase opportunities for minority entrepreneurs to own broadcast stations in our communities. The Broadcast Varied Ownership Incentives for Community Expanded Service, or Broadcast VOICES Act, restores a program once proven effective and is very much needed today. The legislation will increase diversity among owners in the broadcasting industry by restoring mechanisms that encourage investment in broadcast stations owned by minorities and women. And I’m pleased to have Senator Gary Peters from Michigan introduce a Senate version of the bill.
Our media landscape must reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. The Broadcast VOICES Act will re-open doors that have been shut for too long, giving more women and people of color in Nevada and around the country the chance to lead. I’m proud of our work empowering underrepresented voices to tell their stories and shape our local and national discourse.
The Nevada Broadcasters Association supports the Broadcast VOICES Act. Their President and CEO, Mitch Fox, stated, “We believe this bill will encourage broadcast ownership diversity.”
The Broadcast VOICES Act would reinstate the Minority Tax Certificate Program, significantly increasing minority ownership in broadcast media from 1978 to 1995. The program enabled the issuance of 287 radio and 40 television station certificates, increasing minority and women-owned station ownership by over 550%. Despite its success, the program was repealed in 1995. As of 2021, less than 6% of commercial broadcast television stations were owned by women and less than 4% are minority-owned.
Under this legislation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would once again issue these tax certificates to facilitate sales of broadcast stations to socially disadvantaged individuals. It would also mandate annual FCC reports to Congress to recommend further ways to enhance ownership diversity. Additionally, the act introduces a new tax credit for current broadcast owners who donate their stations to train individuals new to managing and operating broadcast stations. This credit aims to rectify past imbalances and ensure continued support and growth for the next generation of the media profession.
I am proud to have the support of the National Urban League, the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), the Hispanic Federation, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the Multicultural Media, Telecom & Internet Council behind the Broadcast VOICES Act.