MAM
US FCC relaxes media ownership limits
MUMBAI: As expected, US regulators on Monday voted on partisan lines new media ownership rules that allow television broadcasters to expand their reach.
Despite fears the move may reduce the variety of viewpoints available to consumers, the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 to allow television networks to own stations that reach a combined 45 per of the American audience, up from 35 per cent, Reuters has reported.
The changes to FCC policy have eased restrictions that bar a single company from owning more than one television station in larger markets or from owning a newspaper and a radio or television outlet. The new rules allow companies to own two stations in most markets (the smallest markets are excluded) provided one is not in the top four based on ratings and as long as there are still at least five other station owners in the market.
Additionally, the FCC has for the first time allowed three-station combinations in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and Dallas, in which 18 or more stations are on the air.
The two Democrats on the FCC had opposed easing media ownership limits, arguing that it would concentrate ownership in the hands of a few, reduce the diversity of viewpoints and stifle reporting of local news.
With this vote, years of lobbying the FCC on the case by executives of every major media company, including Sumner Redstone’s Viacom (CBS), General Electric (NBC), Disney (ABC), Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (Fox), and Tribune have finally borne fruit.
The matter does not end here however. The case for and against media ownership will inevitably come before Congress and probably the courts.
The FCC Meeting was televised/Webcast live on C-SPAN, and Webcast live from the FCC Web Site.
MAM
Schneider Electric launches One Unit Mission for Women’s Day
Green Yodha 2.0 urges every Indian household to save one unit of electricity daily.
MUMBAI: Schneider Electric just flipped the switch on savings because this Women’s Day the brightest idea isn’t a new bulb, it’s turning one unit off. Schneider Electric launched the second phase of its Green Yodha initiative, ‘One Unit Mission’, on International Women’s Day 2026, calling on every Indian household to save at least one unit of electricity daily. The campaign was flagged off in Delhi by chief minister Rekha Gupta, actor and sustainability advocate Bhumi Pednekar, and other dignitaries.
Rekha Gupta said, “Delhi’s journey towards clean, resilient growth begins with how efficiently we use the energy we already have. Green Yodha 2.0 reminds us that every citizen is a stakeholder in India’s energy future, and saving one unit of power today is an act of nation-building for tomorrow.”
Schneider Electric India zone president, MD & CEO Deepak Sharma added, “India is entering a decade of unprecedented growth, and that growth will require enormous amounts of energy. The real challenge is not just how much power we produce, but how intelligently we use it. If every Indian household saves just one unit of electricity a day, the impact would be equivalent to planting billions of trees or taking millions of cars off the road.”
Schneider Electric India, vice president of marketing Rajat Abbi noted, “Sustainability becomes real when it is simple and measurable. The One Unit Mission is about turning awareness into everyday action.”
In FY 2023–24, India’s energy-efficiency programmes (PAT, UJALA, S&L, SLNP, CAFÉ) collectively saved 53.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent, avoided 321 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and reduced energy expenditure by Rs 2 lakh crore equivalent to nearly 6 per cent of national primary energy supply.
The initiative aligns with government efforts on efficient cooling, appliance standards and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s state-level SEEI FY 2024 framework, emphasising demand-side efficiency as a cost-effective complement to new generation capacity.
In a nation sprinting toward brighter, bigger tomorrows, Schneider isn’t selling more power, it’s quietly handing every household a daily superpower: the ability to save one unit and help light up a cleaner, more efficient future, one thoughtful switch at a time.
