More than 40 US Reps. urge Pai to deny Sinclair-Tribune merger, wait for court ruling

More than 40 members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to FCC Chairman Pai on the Sinclair-Tribune merger, which is in the midst of its second pleading cycle. “While we believe the FCC should reject this merger outright,” the letter read, “it is our opinion that approval should absolutely not be granted before the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit rules on Free Press v. FCC, given the implications of the UHF discount on the Sinclair-Tribune transaction.”

The UHF discount is an outdated and technically obsolete method of counting audience reach which was eliminated in 2016 but reinstated by the Republican-majority at the FCC just weeks before the Sinclair-Tribune merger was announced.

“Due process is important,” the letter reads. “If the FCC approves the merger before A DC Circuit decision that strikes down the UHF discount, the FCC will have created government-sanctioned Sinclair dominance of the broadcast industry. No other company will be able to compete with the combine Sinclair-Tribune, but as importantly, nor should we want any content company to reach that scale of outsize power. We believe the gravity of this potential scenario alone should compel the FCC to either block the Sinclair-Tribune merger or at least wait until after the DC Circuit rules.”

The Sinclair-Tribune merger will kill jobs, hurt local news, and raise prices for consumers. Sinclair has submitted five different divestiture plans, none of which resolve the anti-competitive problems associated with this merger. The FCC should deny the merger.

Links:

41 US Representatives send letter to FCC Chairman Pai on Sinclair-Tribune merger, UHF discount (US House, June 13, 2018)

UHF discount gets its day in court (Speed Matters, Apr. 20, 2018)