FCC 'Lax' on Standard/Tegna Deal, Unions Say

The FCC has “often been overly lax” in assessing arguments by Standard/Tegna that certain documents aren’t germane to the merger proceeding, said the Communications Workers of America's NewsGuild and National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians sectors in a Tuesday meeting with Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer and an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, according to an ex parte filing in docket 22-162. The FCC “must determine” whether some documents on the relationship among Standard, Tegna and Apollo Global Management referenced in the Applicants’ Comprehensive Exhibit “even exist,” the filing said. The FCC should grant a pending motion from May to require more information from the parties to the deal, the filing said. The agency should also overturn a ruling limiting organizational standing from the administration of former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the filing said. The groups said this proceeding is different from past deals where the FCC hasn’t treated the threat of increased retransmission consent fees as a public interest harm, the filing said. “Increased prices are a paradigmatic form of harm to consumer welfare.” Standard Media and the FCC didn’t immediately comment.