DirecTV Asks FCC to Act on Nexstar De Facto Station Control

"Everybody in the industry knows" Nexstar broadcast sidecars Mission and White Knight gave de facto control of their licenses to Nexstar, which operates their stations in every meaningful way, DirecTV said Friday in an informal FCC complaint that raises similar issues as its pending antitrust complaint before the U.S. District Court for Southern New York (see 2303150041). DirecTV said its control of the stations means Nexstar can hike retransmission consent prices, "evade the Commission’s local ownership rules, and exceed Congress’s national ownership cap." In its complaint, DirecTV asks the FCC to declare the existence of de facto control "and to take whatever remedial and disciplinary measures it deems appropriate." Nexstar didn't comment.