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FCC Vote Likely Dooms Sinclair-Tribune Merger (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the cease-and-desist dept.

FCC commissioners unanimously voted on a Hearing Designation Order (HDO) to send the proposed sale of Tribune Media properties to Sinclair to a judge, where the merger is expected to cease. Engadget reports: Earlier this week, FCC chairman Ajit Pai raised "serious concerns" about Sinclair's selloff of 21 stations it had proposed in order to remain under station ownership limits post-merger. Had Sinclair declined to sell off some stations, its 173 broadcast stations in 81 markets, combined with Tribune's 42 stations in 33 markets would reach 72 percent of U.S. TV households. The FCC's National TV Ownership rule "does not limit the number of TV stations a single entity may own nationwide so long as the station group collectively reaches no more than 39 percent of all U.S. TV households." But the rule is more flexible for stations that broadcast using UHF frequencies. Pai, who has been accused of aiding the merger by relaxing the ownership regulations, said Monday that Sinclair's plan would allow the company "to control those stations in practice, even if not in name, in violation of the law." He noted that, "When the FCC confronts disputed issues like these, the Communications Act does not allow it to approve a transaction."

12 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. What is that bizarre feeling? by ZorinLynx · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Oh wow, yeah! It's the feeling of the federal government actually doing a good thing. It feels like this hasn't happened in quite some time.

    I hope it's the start of a trend, but I have my doubts.

    1. Re:What is that bizarre feeling? by youngone · · Score: 1

      Must be opposite day today.
      I didn't get the memo, but there's no other explanation.

    2. Re:What is that bizarre feeling? by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      This is nothing more than a public announcement by Pai that he is increasing his price. They'll slide him some money and he'll publicly announce a reversal of opinion.

    3. Re:What is that bizarre feeling? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Oh wow, yeah! It's the feeling of the federal government actually doing a good thing.

      Not so fast. It depends upon which federal judge the case gets referred to. If it's one of Trump's recent federal bench nominations, it could very well go before an extremist judge who has never tried a case before. I mean, there are some real winners.

      This could also be a way for Ajit "Cream" Pai and the FCC to pretend they had nothing to do with a merger by kicking the can down to a court. Absolutely nothing that this federal government does should be trusted. Just ask Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats who had to find out from a reporter today that his boss invited Vlad Putin, a guy who attacked the United States, to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    4. Re:What is that bizarre feeling? by youngone · · Score: 1

      it could very well go before an extremist judge who has never tried a case before

      That is a very odd way to run a country.

    5. Re:What is that bizarre feeling? by snapsnap · · Score: 1

      The problem is that no President before Trump has stood against news consolidation. This is a problem on both sides of the aisle. I am disappointed with local Internet monopolies. Trump has talked about helping with that, but hasn't done anything yet. Under Clinton, Bush, and Obama, cities and counties have been allowed to grant local monopolies with telcos or cable companies. Where I live in Seattle, Comcast has the local monopoly for my neighborhood but doesn't offer service to all of the streets, like my own that's a deadend with the Burke-Gilman bike trail at the dead end, so it's hard for them to offer service. CenturyLink has gigabit less than half a mile away, but due to over fifty year-old wiring and the distance to their CO, we can't get DSL to work at all. I'm fortunate that work pays for a T1 line to my house so I can work from home, but that is more expensive than most people are willing to spend.

    6. Re:What is that bizarre feeling? by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      News Site Makes Mistake, Corrects and Apologizes, proving All News from Site is Fake!

      News at 11!

      PS: Let's all remember where the term "Faux news" was created.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
  2. bad news for abc fox? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    bad news for abc fox?

  3. This is extremely dangerous... by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1

    to our democracy...

    1. Re:This is extremely dangerous... by GumphMaster · · Score: 1

      What is? Referring the matter to a judge, limiting media ownership/control, interfering with "free" market forces, something else?

      --
      Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
  4. Yes! by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    Huge middle finger to you, Sinclair. May you rot in hell.

  5. What changed? by ilsaloving · · Score: 1

    First Pai is doing everything he can to help the merger go forward, and now this happens.

    I'm curious as to what has changed. I have great difficulty believing that Pai had a sudden outbreak of common sense.