Deals
FCC Chair Defends Sinclair Decision Trump Called `Disgraceful'
- Commissioners stand by unanimous decision to order hearing
- Sinclair bid to buy Tribune will go to administrative judge
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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said he stands by his agency’s decision to send Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.’s acquisition of Tribune Media Co. to an administration hearing, even though President Donald Trump slammed the move as “sad and unfair.”
Pai, a Republican who was appointed chairman of the FCC by Trump, had questioned the legality of the $3.9 billion deal, which would have involved spinning off TV stations in order to meet ownership limits. The commission then voted unanimously to send the issue to an administrative hearing judge, something that can delay or even kill a deal.