Recent FCC data show women own only about 5% of full-power television stations and minorities own less than 4%, with similarly low ownership shares in radio. The Senate companion to the Broadcast VOICES Act would require the FCC to study the causes of this imbalance and report findings and recommendations to Congress every two years. It also creates a tax break for people who sell a broadcast station worth up to $50 million to a woman or someone who has faced racial or ethnic discrimination, letting the seller defer capital-gains taxes as long as the new owner keeps control for two to three years. A companion tax credit would apply to broadcast stations donated to nonprofits that train underrepresented individuals to manage stations. Both tax provisions would expire automatically 16 years after the law takes effect.
Corporate Benefits
- Broadcast-sale tax certificate — New capital-gains deferral for station sales up to $50 million
- Broadcast contribution credit — New tax credit for donating stations to training nonprofits
Transparency & Accountability
- FCC reporting requirements — New recurring reports to Congress on ownership diversity and certificates
Congressional Summary
Broadcast Varied Ownership Incentives for Community Expanded Service Act or the Broadcast VOICES ActThis bill establishes tax incentives for certain transactions that facilitate the ownership and management of broadcast radio stations by socially disadvantaged individuals and imposes related reporting requirements. Under the bill, a socially disadvantaged individual is a woman or an individual who has been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias because of their membership in a group. (A similar tax incentive, known as the Minority Tax Certificate Program, was in effect from 1978 to 1995.)Specifically, the bill permits individuals and entities engaged in the qualifying sale of a radio station to elect nonrecognition of the gain or loss resulting from the sale. A qualifying sale is (1) a sale of an interest in a station that results in or preserves ownership of the station by socially disadvantaged individuals, or (2) a sale of some or all of an interest in a station that is owned by socially disadvantaged individuals by an individual or entity that contributed capital in exchange for the interest (e.g., an investor that contributed startup capital). Such sales must also meet other requirements, including a cap on the value of the sale.The bill also establishes a tax credit for contributions of radio stations for the training of socially disadvantaged individuals in station management and operations.Finally, the bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to report to Congress with recommendations for increasing ownership of radio stations by socially disadvantaged individuals.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-06-18
- Date Added
- 2026-07-08
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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