FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel's proposal to revive net neutrality rules produced mixed, mostly predictable, reactions from consumer and industry groups with the NCTA and the senior Republican appointee on the agency Brendan Carr opposing the idea while some Democratic party lawmakers and consumer groups applauded the move. 

The NAB declined to comment on the proposal. 

Rosenworcel made the proposal shortly after Anna Gomez was sworn in as an FCC commissioner, ending a lengthy deadlock. 

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation said that the new Democratic majority would allow the FCC to take action on key consumer priorities, including restoring net neutrality protections gutted under the Trump Administration.

“With the swearing in of Anna Gomez, the FCC finally has the power to take action on the priorities important to the American people, from delivering on net neutrality and expanding affordable broadband access to strengthening local news,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I’m looking forward to working with the Commission to accomplish an agenda that puts consumers first.”

Cantwell also noted that a recent poll by the University of Maryland found that 72 percent of Americans support reinstating net neutrality and that she has been a leading advocate to protect and restore net neutrality rules. Last year, Sen. Cantwell co-sponsored the Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act to accurately classify broadband internet access as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act, giving the FCC the appropriate authority to reinstate net neutrality protections.

In contrast, Commissioner Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the FCC issued a statement citing a study by former President Obama’s lawyers on internet regulation that found the effort to impose Title II regulation “would be struck down” by the courts and was a “serious mistake.” 

“The two respected lawyers—who represented the federal government before the Supreme Court during the Obama Administration—expressly lauded the goals of net neutrality,” Carr said in a statement. “Nonetheless, they concluded that Title II regulation of the Internet `would be struck down’ and `would be a serious mistake.’ I agree with President Obama’s lawyers.”

“First, the two senior Obama Administration alums are correct that, in their words, an FCC decision classifying broadband internet access service as Title II telecommunications service would ‘bring about an enormous and transformative expansion in [the agency’s] regulatory authority . . . over the national economy.’  Continuing, they rightly state that regulating the Internet as a Title II utility service `would vastly expand the Commission’s authority and would transform the way a federal agency regulates a vitally important element of our economy and the personal and social lives of hundreds of millions of Americans.’”

“Second, President Obama’s lawyers are correct in stating that any decision by the FCC to apply Title II, utility-style regulations to the Internet `would be struck down by the Supreme Court’ under the major questions doctrine, as West Virginia v. EPA makes clear. Indeed, as the two appellate lawyers succinctly put it last week, the legal question `is an easy one.’”

“As a former General Counsel of the FCC myself, I would encourage my Commission colleagues to heed the judicious guidance offered by these top lawyers from the Obama Administration and focus the FCC’s work on the numerous, important subjects that Congress has authorized the Commission to address—from rural broadband and public safety to spectrum and national security—rather than pursuing the Biden Administration’s unnecessary and unlawful plan for exerting government control over the Internet,”  he concluded. “Heading down the path to Title II would not only push vital FCC matters onto the back burner, it would knock many of them off the stove altogether.”

In a statement Republican-appointed Commissioner Nathan Simington noted that "it has now been nearly six years since we repealed the net neutrality rules, and as far as I know, no one has died yet, nor have any other of the solemnly predicted catastrophes come to pass."

Simington also joined Commissioner Brendan Carr in expressing some doubts about the use of Title II to rein in potential abuses by ISPs but focused much of his attention on big tech companies who would profit from the revival of net neutrality rules.

These big tech companies have funded “an obsession” with net neutrality that obscured the real issue, which is an attempt by big tech “to monopolize…the internet economy” and make sure “they and only they are allowed to reap the massive profits of the internet ecosystem," Simington said in a statement.

The misleading net neutrality debate around “free speech was just the public front for what was really a campaign of industrial lawfare,” by big tech and large streaming companies, he argued.

Michael Powell, president and of the CEO, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association that is backed by cable operators also slammed the plan. 

“The FCC has made clear its desire to launch new net neutrality rules, surfacing new ever-shifting rationales,” Powell said. “The original justification for accessing sweeping Title II authority has become obviously thin. ISPs continue to invest heavily, build ever-faster networks, and have kept those networks open. For two decades, there has been only one two-year period in which the FCC applied Title II to the internet, yet the internet has been open throughout because it makes business sense to offer it that way.”

“The proposed rules may complicate, if not deeply upset, our collective efforts to bring internet to rural and unserved communities,” he concluded. “These rules set out very heavy regulations that complicate the calculus of deploying networks in expensive, risky, and hard-to-serve markets. The FCC’s actions only add to that burden, and we fear net neutrality will lead to net fatality.”

Powell also predicted that “this will be a drawn out, messy proceeding with lots of wasted expense to get rules that might not survive the next election and are unlikely to pass constitutional muster when they reach the Supreme Court, which they inevitably will.”

Support for the idea came from consumer groups like Common Cause that have long backed the idea. 

Michael Copps, former FCC Commissioner and Common Cause special adviser backed the proposal by arguing that “to allow a handful of monopoly-aspiring gate-keepers to control access to the internet is a direct threat to our democracy. Anyone hoping to be a full participant in our society must have access to an open internet that serves the people’s needs. So much of our lives now takes place online that without an internet serving the public interest, we are short-changing ourselves and our country. Congratulations to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel for her courageous leadership to bring net neutrality back.”

Ishan Mehta, Common Cause Media and Democracy Program director also supported the move. “The Internet has fundamentally changed how people are civically engaged and is critical to participating in society today,” Mehta said. “It is the primary communications platform, a virtual public square and has been a powerful organizing tool, allowing social justice movements to gain momentum and widespread support. We look forward to the reinstatement net neutrality protections, and the control of the Internet returning to the American people instead of Internet providers.”

"The repeal of Net Neutrality during the Trump Administration left access to broadband unregulated and consumers unprotected,” Meta added. “As a result we saw broadband providers throttle popular video streaming services, degrade video quality forcing customers to pay higher prices for improved quality, offer service plans that favor their own services over competitors, and make hollow, voluntary, and unenforceable promises not to disconnect their customers during the pandemic.”

WISPA, which has approximately 1000 members who provide fixed broadband connectivity, and include equipment suppliers, support services, and other industry partners and stakeholders criticized the idea.

“Though details remain to be seen, such a move to reimpose twentieth-century utility-style rules are not needed at this time,” said Louis Peraertz, vice president of policy for WISPA – Broadband Without Boundaries. “The marketplace has thrived in the very absence of such regulation. Low prices, capex output, and technological and service innovation abound. Further, more customers than ever receive broadband, with this number growing each day. Smaller ISPs in particular should not be saddled with burdensome regulations. WISPA has long stood against common carrier regulation of its members’ services. Though Title II would allow access to poles, conduits and rights-of-way for broadband providers – something not automatically granted to ISPs today – its cost, and what it augurs for the future of regulation, outweigh that benefit.  And if the FCC is concerned about the patchwork of state laws, that can be resolved through federal preemption that relaxes regulatory burdens, not increases them.”          

“Quite simply, Title II is for a bygone time, not for a time when companies are actively competing for broadband customers and the government is prepared to provide billions in funding for broadband deployment,” he continued. “That noted, we look forward to learning more and working with the Commission and other stakeholders on this important matter, which, ultimately, we believe demands legislation from Congress.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The FCC administrative judge overseeing the review of Standard General’s proposed acquisition of Tegna has decided to suspend the proceeding because the review would likely continue past the May 22 deadline for completing the deal. 

The acquisition was first proposed over a year ago and the financial agreements needed to fund it require that the deal be completed by May 22. Given economic changes in the last year that increased interest rates and made borrowing more difficult, Standard General has said that delays past May 22 would kill the deal. 

“Rather than require Applicants, Petitioners, the Enforcement Bureau, and the Office of Administrative Law Judges to spend time and resources in furtherance of this hearing proceeding when the underlying transactions might not survive past May 22, 2023, the Presiding Judge determined it best to hold this proceeding in abeyance until sometime after that date has passed,” the order suspending the hearing stated. 

In response to the ruling, Standard General issued a statement saying: “As we have said for months, the FCC Media Bureau’s decision to designate the applications for hearing was a deliberate move to kill the transaction rather than to assist in making a decision. At any point between now and May 22nd, the FCC has the ability to override the Media Bureau’s deeply flawed Hearing Designation Order and bring this deal to a vote. We urge the FCC to listen to the countless bipartisan voices calling for a vote and fair treatment of the applicants.”

In filings with the administrative law judge, Standard General had argued for a shortened period of discovery and review given the massive amount of documentation that the FCC review had already produced. 

The News Guild-CWA/National Association of Broadcast Employees and Engineers-CWA, United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry, and Common Cause Educational Fund as well as the Enforcement Bureau, sought a six-month discovery period followed by six months of pre-hearing motions and other submissions, the ruling noted. Petitioners and the Enforcement Bureau suggested that six months is a reasonable period of discovery for a complicated transaction that allows time for them to review the existing documentation and determine what additional discovery might be required, including interrogatories, document requests, and depositions.

In the order Jane Hinckley Halprin, administrative law judge, ruled that “at least some discovery is necessary. Those tasks, and other pre-hearing matters that are likely to arise, will take the duration of this hearing beyond the May 22, 2023, deadline that Applicants deem necessary to preserve their merger arrangement.”

The judge instructed Applicants to file a status report on or before June 1, 2023, to update the record and report on the continued viability of their merger arrangement on or before June 1, 2023.

WASHINGTON—Politicians and others who spend most of their time on Capitol Hill reacted in a predictable manner to FCC commissioner nominee Gigi Sohn’s withdrawal from consideration yesterday after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced his opposition. 

Opponents labeled her an “activist,” while advocates lambasted the opposition’s “hate-fueled” campaign against Sohn, who, if confirmed, would have been the FCC’s first openly gay commissioner. Sohn was first nominated by President Biden in October 2021.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) expressed her disappointment at Sohn’s decision. 

"Throughout the past 16 months, Ms. Sohn has demonstrated her expertise in telecommunications law, deep experience and commitment to ensuring that every American has access to affordable broadband regardless of where they live," she said. “More importantly, I commend her for the integrity and fortitude she displayed in the face of a coordinated, hate-fueled campaign to malign and distort her character and record. I thank Ms. Sohn for her willingness to serve and her continued efforts to bridge the digital divide in America.” 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a vocal opponent of Sohn’s nomination called her withdrawal “a major victory, and represents a strong bipartisan agreement that we need a fair and impartial candidate who can receive the support needed for confirmation.”

“The FCC is not a place for partisan activists; free speech is too important,” Cruz added. “Now, it’s time for the Biden administration to put forth a nominee who can be confirmed by the full Senate and is committed to serving as an even-handed and truly independent regulator.”

Michael Copps, special adviser to Common Cause and a former FCC chairman, was highly critical of how Sohn’s nomination was handled. 

“Senate treatment of this nomination has been, from beginning to end, sad, shoddy, and shameful, and its treatment of Ms. Sohn a despicable dereliction of duty and honor," Copps said. "A win for big-spending special interests, to be sure, but a tragic loss for the common good."

Eric Greer, director of Fight for the Future, which advocates for network-neutrality, which Sohn also supports, said opposition to her nomination was more than just about policy differences.  

“Let’s be perfectly clear: Democrats promised to restore net neutrality and FCC oversight of telecom monopolies, and instead they caved to corporate interests and homophobic smears,” he said. “The same telecom companies that were caught red handed funding a flood of fraudulent comments to the FCC and paying for misleading robocalls to senior citizens to kill net neutrality rules now will seemingly get to pick their own regulator, just as they did with Ajit Pai. 

"Democrats’ failure to stand up to the telecom industry and condemn the homophobic smears targeting Sohn will have devastating effects for human rights, free expression, and public safety,” he added. “Even if the White House names a new nominee, there may not be enough time for the FCC to move forward with key priorities like restoring net neutrality and broadband privacy rules. By allowing Sohn’s nomination to be undermined by disingenuous attacks and refusing to condemn them, the Biden administration and Senate Democrats have set a terrible precedent for future public interest nominees and LGBTQ nominees." 

For its part, the White House said Sohn "would have brought tremendous intellect and experience, which is why the president nominated her in the first place."

"We also appreciated her dedication to public service, her talent and her years of work as one of the nation’s leading public advocates on behalf of American consumers and competition," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Common Cause has issued a strongly worded plea for the U.S. Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn as a new commissioner to the FCC, saying that “in recent weeks, industry and big money opposition have continued to run a smear campaign to stall Gigi Sohn’s confirmation to serve as FCC commissioner. These attacks have now turned to a more bigoted and hateful nature in an effort to keep the FCC deadlocked. A deadlocked FCC is unable to advance key priorities that address the communications needs of all households. Common Cause calls on the Senate to condemn these attacks and rapidly confirm her to the FCC.”

“It is disgraceful that the FCC has been forced into deadlock since the beginning of the Biden administration while big money opposition continues to run a sleazy and bigoted campaign to stall Ms. Sohn’s confirmation,” added Michael Copps, former FCC commissioner and Common Cause special adviser in a statement to the press. “Industry gatekeepers will go to any lengths to smear Ms. Sohn’s name, all to derail her confirmation because they know a fully functional FCC will hold them accountable for engaging in anti-consumer practices.”

“Ms. Sohn is more than qualified to be a commissioner and has spent her entire career fighting for the public interest – the core mission of the FCC,” Copps said. “She has the support of nearly 250 organizations including groups from across the political spectrum. We urge the senate to condemn the continued smear campaign against Ms. Sohn and quickly confirm her to the FCC.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Common Cause has commended Verizon for its decision to drop One America News Network from its channel line-up at the end of July. 

The decision by DirecTV to drop OAN earlier this year and Verizon’s decision not to renew carriage, means that no major pay TV outlet will be carrying the conservative news network, which has been under fire for  promoting false and misleading information about the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of the 2020 election, and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.

Conversative news organizations OAN, Fox News and Newsmax also face a billion-dollar libel lawsuit brought by the Dominion Voting Systems and OAN faces a separate libel suit from Smartmatic, another maker of voting machines. 

Common Cause and a coalition of civil-rights, human-rights and media-justice organizations have pushed the major carriers to drop OANN since 2021. Last year, the coalition organized a letter to the CEOs of AT&T and DirecTV urging their companies to sever business ties with the network. After more than 170,000 people signed a petition calling on AT&T and DirectTV to cut all ties with OANN,  DirecTV dropped the channel from its lineup.

“With the move by Verizon Fios, One America News Network will be left without a major carrier to spread its often harmful and dangerous disinformation and baseless conspiracy theories,” said Yosef Getachew, Common Cause Media and Democracy program director. “This is a welcome change but long overdue. OANN has spread lies that have hindered U.S. efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, undermined Americans’ faith in our elections, and fed the Big Lie narrative that led to a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. We hope those remaining small pay-tv providers and streaming services still carrying OANN will follow suit and deprive the outlet of any platform to spread harmful conspiracy theories that have done real world harm. No company should profit from spreading content that endangers our democracy."

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Common Cause and UCC Media Justice have filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to deny the proposed $8.6 billion merger of Apollo Global Management, Standard General L.P., and Tegna.

If approved Standard General would acquire Tegna’s 61 full power television stations and two radio stations across 50 markets. Apollo will control the licenses of 31 full-power television stations in 26 markets and 54 radio stations in 11 radio markets.

In opposing the deal, the petition noted that Standard General and Apollo have already swallowed smaller broadcast groups and that the Tegna deal would lead to greater consolidation in the marketplace, leading to reporter layoffs, price hikes, and problems related to media consolidation. 

“This merger represents yet another opportunity by private equity and hedge funds to take over America’s newsrooms,” said Yosef Getachew, Common Cause Media & Democracy Program director. “Local news is critical to a functioning democracy particularly for communities of color and other marginalized groups who are more likely to rely on over-the-air programming for news and information than other communications channels.  But as we’ve seen, private equity’s ownership of local media has led to reporter layoffs and consolidated newsrooms, unable to provide communities with the news and information they need to civically engage and hold government accountable.” 

“Standard General and Apollo have failed to provide any evidence that this merger won’t lead to dire consequences for our local media ecosystem,” Getachew continued. “Rather, these companies have made their business intentions clear to downsize Tegna’s stations post transaction and potentially displace local programming with national programming.” 

The petition also complained that the companies have structured the deal to take advantage of contractual arrangements that would ultimately lead to price hikes for pay television subscribers at a time when households are facing the consequences of inflation in their pocketbooks. 

“With the broadcast market already highly consolidated with a handful of conglomerates owning much of our local media, the FCC should block this merger and send a message to the predatory hedge funds looking to make a quick buck by tearing down one of the key pillars to our democracy,” Getachew said. 

The full petition is available here. 

WASHINGTON—Common Cause is backing the U.S. Third Circuit Court in its upcoming court case against the FCC regarding media ownership rules set to be heard by the Supreme Court, arguing that the FCC’s efforts will do more to harm media ownership diversity than help.

Common Cause joined Prometheus Radio Project, Movement Alliance Project, Free Press, Office of Communication Inc. of the United Church of Christ and National Association Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers in a brief filed to the Supreme Court. 

The brief argues that SCOTUS should affirm the Third Circuit’s decision that the FCC was “arbitrary and capricious in deregulating media ownership rules without considering what effect it would have one broadcast ownership by women and people of color.”

The FCC has fought this ruling, claiming that its proposal not only updates media ownership rules that it calls out-of-date, but also creates an incubator program to promote diversity in media. After a number of appeal attempts, the commission ultimately brought the case before SCOTUS. 

PLUS: Pai Urges Media Ownership Reforms

The brief submitted by Common Cause and the other organizations believe, however, that the Third Circuit correctly identified flawed data in the FCC’s proposal that does adequately consider the impact of its rules change on diverse media ownership.

Former FCC Commissioner and Common Cause Special Adviser Michael Copps made the following statement regarding the case:

“The Third Circuit rejected bad FCC media ownership rule changes four times because each time the agency ignored the Court’s demand for evidence and a reasoned explanation of how rule changes would impact broadcast ownership diversity. Rather than do its job, the FCC is now seeking a bail out from the Supreme Court to push for greater media consolidation at the expense of ownership diversity. Based on existing data, we know the number of broadcast stations owned by women and people of color is abysmally low as media conglomerates continue to consolidate. Women and people of color have struggled to acquire broadcast stations in an industry that’s been consolidated for far too long.

“Our democracy suffers when just a few entities own the majority of our media and there is no diversity in ownership. The FCC’s media ownership rules are intended to prevent that from happening. We urge the Supreme Court to uphold the Third Circuit’s decision and require the FCC to once and for all fulfill its statutory mandate to promote race and gender diversity in media ownership.”

The full brief is available online. 

WASHINGTON—Having to pay $48 million to reconcile with three FCC investigations is an instance of Sinclair Broadcast Group getting off easy, according to Common Cause, especially as the broadcaster has been a repeat offender, the nonpartisan watchdog organization says.

The FCC fined, and Sinclair has agreed to pay, $48 million in civil penalties after a year-long investigation into Sinclair’s disclosure of information regarding its proposed acquisition of Tribune Media, as well as relating to two other investigations of if it negotiated retransmission agreements in good faith and failing to identify the sponsor of content supplied to both Sinclair and non-Sinclair TV stations.

“We commend the FCC for taking enforcement action against Sinclair,” said Michael Copps, Common Cause special adviser and former FCC commissioner, in a statement. “But the penalty amounts to a slap on the wrist for a conglomerate that has a history of bending the FCC’s rules and pursuing acquisition strategies that make a mockery of the broadcast ownership limits. Misrepresentation and lack of candor are serious allegations for any broadcaster let alone one that has continued to push the constraints of ownership structures placed by the commission. … The airwaves belong to the public and must reflect the diversity of voices in our democracy.”

Coops called the consent decree insufficient, suggesting that the cases that Sinclair was facing warranted debate on whether it should be able to keep its license. But, Coops argues, the decision by the FCC should not eliminate the FCC from reviewing Sinclair’s license when it comes up for review.

“The public should have full opportunity to weigh in on these renewal applications, and the commission must keep a watchful eye that Sinclair does not violate any of its rules,” Copps added.

Copps’ full statement is available online. 

WASHINGTON—Despite receiving two no votes from the FCC’s Democratic commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks on Wednesday, Oct. 16, the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger was officially approved thanks to the commission’s three Republican commissioners previously approving the merger.

The merger between the two companies has a price tag of $26 billion and also includes a negotiated deal to sell assets to Dish Network, including Boost Mobile, as part of a mandated divestiture.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, when he first signaled his approval for the merger in August, said the deal would assist with the deployment of a 5G wireless network, improve mobile broadband services and increase the 5G infrastructure across the U.S.

However, Starks disagrees. “I believe that T-Mobile and Sprint have not proven that their merger will benefit the public interest,” he said, citing that regulating or inciting penalties against the company for any violations will prove difficult and even some penalties can be tax-deductible “voluntary contributions.”

Starks isn’t the only one to make their disapproval of the merger known. Common Cause has announced that it has filed a petition to deny the merger with the FCC.

“The majority-FCC’s vote to approve the disastrous T-Mobile/Sprint merger is a vote to raise prices, reduce innovation and price out millions of low-income and marginalized communities from wireless service,” said Michael Copps, former FCC commissioner and Common Cause special advisor. “Rather than actually conduct a thorough public interest review of the merger, the majority at the FCC signaled it would approve the deal months ago pointing to promises and commitments made by T-Mobile and Sprint. But these promises and behavioral commitments are unenforceable and riddled with loopholes that do nothing to address significant harms consumers would face from the merger.

“Fortunately, more than 14 state attorney generals have filed a lawsuit to block this merger. We support their legal effort and continue to mobilize opposition against this merger, which poses a significant danger to our democracy.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who is running for president, also raised her concerns over the merger and supports state attorney generals to challenge the merger.

The Justice Department has already said that it would not sue to block the deal, citing the conditions that were added to address antitrust concerns.

WASHINGTON—Common Cause officially filed a petition on Friday, May 10, to the FCC asking the commission to reject the proposed merger of Apollo Global Management, Cox Enterprises Inc. and Northwest Broadcasting Inc. Common Cause believes that the proposed merger would severely impact local TV coverage, particularly in an area like Dayton, Ohio.

If accepted, the merger would result in Apollo owning 25 TV stations. In a statement from former FCC commissioner, now Common Cause special adviser Michael Copps, he says that past merger history often shows that the quality of news and information can be diminished under private equity control.

In his statement, Copps specifically points out to the impact that could be had in Dayton, where Cox owns the largest TV station, four radio stations and the Dayton Daily News in the area, all of which would be included in the merger.

“The high level of consolidation in Dayton has already led to reporter layoffs and less robust coverage of local news,” reads Copps statement. “People in the Dayton community say they know more about what is going on in other parts of Ohio than they do in their own town. Apollo’s merger won’t do anything to improve the state of local news in Dayton but will likely make it much worse.

“Allowing a private equity firm to control a significant amount of television stations at a time when the broadcast marketplace is already highly consolidated undermines our values of localism, viewpoint diversity and more media ownership by women and people of color. The FCC should block this merger and uphold a framework that gives communities robust sources of local news and information.”

The full petition can be read here.

WASHINGTON—Tribune Media shareholders may have overwhelmingly supported the company’s acquisition by Nexstar last week, but not everyone is happy about the potential merger. Common Cause—joined by Public Knowledge, United Church of Christ OC Inc. and Sports Fans Coalition—filed a petition on Monday with the FCC asking the commission to deny the proposed merger.

Nexstar first announced the proposed deal for Tribune in December 2018, acquiring 42 stations, cable network WGN America and a 31 percent stake in Food Network for a total transaction value of $6.4 billion. The combined assets would give Nexstar more than 200, pre-divestiture full power, owned or service TV stations in 118 markets, as well as growing digital operations. The company would reach a reported 39 percent of U.S. households, creating the largest local broadcasting company in the country.

The Common Cause petition says that Nexstar-Tribune’s reach would be closer to 72 percent, which exceeds the 39 percent Congressionally established ownership cap for VHF stations. Nexstar has said that it would divest some stations to comply with federal ownership rules.

“The Nexstar-Tribune merger is a bad deal for communities across the country who want local news from diverse and independent voices reporting on stories that impact their everyday lives,” read the statement from Michael Copps, Common Cause special adviser and former FCC commissioner. Copps makes the argument that the merger could lead to reporter layoffs and consolidated newsrooms, resulting in less in-depth reporting, locally-originated programming and local news. “This will only lead to less informed citizens, negatively impacting our democracy and civic dialogue.”

He continued: “At a time when the broadcast marketplace is already highly consolidated with a handful of conglomerates owning much of our local media, the FCC should block this merger and uphold a framework that gives communities diverse and independent sources of news and information.”

The full petition is available to read online.