41.   The New York Times Co., owner of television stations as well as newspapers, may itself benefit from new business opportunities as ownership rules are relaxed.

42.   The media ownership rules were supported by Democratic regulators appointed during the Clinton administration.

43.   The Port Authority last year reopened talks with Station and the owners of the Isle of Capri to reimpose the minority ownership rule.

44.   The U.S. companies may also be preoccupied with a proposed relaxation of ownership rules in the United States, now being considered by the Federal Communications Commission.

45.   They said foreign ownership rules prohibit the combined MCI-British Telecom from holding such a license, and Time Warner signaled it will keep trying to block it.

46.   Those media ownership rules may change, though, after a proposed inquiry by the Australian government.

47.   Westerfield said the relaxation in ownership rules would force all owners, especially the weak ones, to decide now whether to get bigger or sell out.

48.   While they agree on relaxing broadcast ownership rules for the television industry, Bliley said, committee members want to maintain some safeguards.

49.   But some are less certain that the FCC will relax its ownership rules because of opposition to doing so.

50.   Fritts publicly thanked ABC for staying on board, despite disagreements over the ownership rules, for the broader benefit of the industry.