FCC chairman’s ties with Sinclair subject of probe

The Federal Communications Commission’s internal watchdog is probing whether the agency’s chairman improperly pushed for rule changes that helped clear the way for Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed purchase of Tribune Media Co.’s television stations, a lawmaker said.

The role of Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, has drawn scrutiny in part for his meetings with Sinclair executives since the election of President Donald Trump, who selected Pai to lead the agency. Democrats have said FCC policy this year has seemed to be crafted to benefit the Maryland-based broadcaster, as he pushes to ease barriers to media consolidation.

“For months I have been trying to get to the bottom of the allegations about Chairman Pai’s relationship with Sinclair Broadcasting,” Rep. Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat who requested the probe, said in a tweet Thursday.

“I am particularly concerned about reports that Chairman Pai may have coordinated with Sinclair to time a series of commission actions to benefit the company,” Pallone said.

The inspector general, David Hunt, in a December meeting with congressional staff, confirmed that he was investigating questions lawmakers had raised, said a person who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pallone and Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, in a Nov. 13 letter said Pai’s regulatory moves “when taken in context with reported meetings between the Trump Administration, Sinclair, and Chairman Pai’s office — have raised serious concerns.”

Sinclair has proposed buying 42 Tribune stations in 33 markets in a $3.9 billion deal that would give the conservative-leaning broadcaster a presence in major markets including New York and Chicago. The merger proposed in May is being reviewed by the FCC and the Justice Department.