In cases where enforcement of ban on cross-ownership doesn’t prom...

In cases where enforcement of ban on cross-ownership doesn’t promote goals of increasing competition in marketplace, waiver of rules will be entertained, FCC said in granting petition for waiver filed by Michael Sovern, member of AT&T board and trustee of Educational Bcstg. Corp. (EBC), licensee of noncommerical educational station WNET (Ch. 13) N.Y.-Newark. He said WNET’s predicted Grade B contour overlapped Cablevison systems (serving N.Y.C. metropolitan area) in which AT&T had 33% noncontrolling stock interest, with 8.9% voting interest. Sovern said he sought waiver of cross-ownership rules because of his attributable interest in both WNET and Cablevision. Neither he nor AT&T has authority to direct programming decisions of Cablevision, he said. Also, with AT&T’s acquisition of MediaOne, it acquired 25.5% noncontrolling interest in Time Warner Entertainment, whose cable systems also overlapped WNET contour. But since WNET is noncommercial, it wouldn’t compete with other broadcast stations carried on Cablevison or Time Warner cable systems, he said. Commission said it has determined that waiver of TV cable cross- ownership rule is particularly appropriate where TV stations involved are noncommercial.