Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai issued the following statement regarding the Office of Inspector General’s independent report, which found no evidence or suggestion of impropriety, unscrupulous behavior, or favoritism towards Sinclair. Moreover, the Office of the Inspector General found no lack of impartiality related to the proposed Sinclair-Tribune Merger:
House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Doyle (D-PA) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging the Commission to get to the bottom of allegations that Sinclair Broadcast Group lied to the FCC in the company’s failed attempt to acquire Tribune Media Company. In the letter, the lawmakers expressed their hope that the FCC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) would continue its ongoing review of the allegations against Sinclair.
Sen Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led a group of her colleagues from the Commerce Committee in urging Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to maintain focus on maternal health as the Commission moves forward with its proposed Connected Care pilot program. This pilot would support access to care using telehealth. The letter comes after the FCC released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on supporting access to health care through telehealth in the Connected Care pilot program.
Network neutrality activists have gotten together to fight the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, saying he would put the wishes of big cable and big telecom over the interests of the public. Free Press, Public Knowledge, Fight for the Future, Demand Progress and 20 others have sent a letter to the Senate in opposition. His Senate nomination hearings--in the Judiciary Committee--are scheduled to begin Sept 4, although Democrats are trying to delay them, partly in hopes of regaining the Senate and blocking the nomination themselves.
Sprint and T-Mobile continue to work to obtain regulatory approval for their proposed merger. But, according to some analysts, don't expect the discussion to turn to conditions—including divestitures—until later in 2018. “We would not be surprised to see opponents refrain from offering conditions in these initial rounds of filings,” wrote the analysts at Wall Street firm New Street Research. “Generally, the opposition wants to push to kill the deal and only offer conditions as a last resort.
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