WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission is pushing ahead to pass a rule today that would allow more consolidation of local media ownership in the nation's largest cities, despite the fresh threat of a legislative rebuke and continued protests from advocacy groups.

The rule, proposed by Chairman Kevin J. Martin, a Republican, has been assailed by members of his own commission, denounced by a unanimous vote of the Senate Commerce Committee and called harmful to media diversity by a number of groups who say Martin is rushing it through without adequate public comment.

However, Martin's action is backed by the White House, which over the weekend successfully headed off a House Democratic attempt to deny the FCC money to implement the new rule, according to a number of sources.

Approval of the media-ownership plan would partially lift a 32-year-old ban that prevents one company from owning a newspaper and television or radio station in the same city. Under Martin's plan, a newspaper could own one television or radio station in the nation's 20 largest media markets, assuming certain conditions are met. A newspaper could not own one of the top-four rated television stations, for instance.

In the nation's approximately 190 media markets, a company could petition the FCC to allow a merger between a newspaper and broadcast station, but the deal would have to pass tests to be approved. Opponents of the plan say the tests are so vague as to be meaningless.

Martin is showing some compromise on the so-called "cross-ownership" rule. Through yesterday afternoon, he was working with fellow commissioners and advocacy groups to "put some teeth" in the tests, said one FCC official.

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