Broadcasting&Cable

Demand Progress, which strongly opposes Sinclair's proposed purchase of Tribune, wants the Federal Communications Commission inspector general (IG) to investigate FCC Chairman Ajit Pai over what it suggests are decisions meant to favor the broadcaster. "From the beginning, chairman Pai has been eager to roll out the red carpet for Sinclair and grease the wheels to enable this merger to happen," Demand Progress said in launching the petition.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn of the Federal Communications Commission appears to have put the kibosh on a rumor she was considering exiting the commission. Commissioner Clyburn's term was up at the end of June 2017. She has not been renominated, but she can continue to serve, and has. Asked about that rumor, her office cited a recent interview in which she said: "My term was up in June, and with appointments like mine, we can technically serve until this particular Congress adjourns, which is December 2018.

The Federal Communications Commission has finally released the language of its controversial Restoring Internet Freedom order, which the Republican majority approved Dec 14 against visceral opposition from Democrats--edits to the item continued through this week. Here are some key passages of the final language of a decision that Internet services have celebrated, Democratic members of Congress are trying to overturn, and activists say spells the end of an open internet as we know it.

Fight for the Future is taking the gloves off in its effort to battle the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission's party line vote to roll back network neutrality rules and deed primary Internet regulatory authority to the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department. It has launched the VoteForNetNeutrality.com website, which asks its Internet followers to vote out lawmakers--Republicans and Democrats--who do not join a Democrat-led effort to use the Congressional Review Act to nullify that rule rollback, saying holdouts are "betraying" the public. Fight For the Future