Prometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project, public interest groups who have been opponents of relaxation in the FCC’s broadcast ownership rules, have filed the first Petition for Review of the FCC’s Order on Reconsideration of the Quadrennial Review of those rules. In November, the FCC by a 3 to 2 vote eliminated the rule requiring that eight independent television voices remain in a market before a TV duopoly would be approved, eliminated the newspaper/broadcast and radio/television cross-interest rules, and made other changes (which we summarized here). The petitioners filed their appeal in the Third Circuit, which has for more than a decade heard appeals of FCC ownership rulemakings, and has often been skeptical of FCC actions (though most recently, as we wrote here, seemed to express some views that the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership ban was outdated). In any event, these groups have filed before the effective date of the new rules, and there is some thought that they may seek a stay of that effective date (the filing of the appeal itself does not itself stay the effectiveness of the decision). Stay tuned….