Standard, Tegna Pushback on Extension Request

The FCC should reject requests by public interest groups for an extension and additional information (see 2205130072) on the Standard/Tegna deal, said Tegna and Standard General in a joint opposition filing posted in docket 22-162 Wednesday. With “absolutely no supporting precedent or facts, Movants now second-guess the Media Bureau’s expert review and assessment of the completeness of the applications,” said the filing. Public Knowledge and Common Cause have made similar requests for retransmission consent contract data during prior transactions and were rejected by the FCC, Standard and Tegna said. “The vehicle for them to raise their concerns is a petition to deny or comments,” said the broadcasters. Tegna and Standard didn’t respond to suggestions by the groups that the deal is structured to trigger after-acquired clauses in purchased stations or that it could lead to Apollo having an attributable level of control over the final entity. “Applicants are reserving their responses to Movants’ unsupported allegations regarding the proposed transactions unless and until such time as they are raised in a properly supported petition,” the broadcasters said.