Pai's Big-Media Handout Won't Help Communities

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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai claimed in a New York Times Op-Ed that his ill-conceived plans to overhaul media-ownership rules are in fact a long-overdue move to rescue the struggling newspaper industry. The chairman’s piece is rife with lies of omission that render his argument meaningless.

Pai’s order presents a gift basket of deregulatory goodies to big broadcasters like Sinclair. It would end the ban on cross-ownership of local newspapers by television and radio stations in the same market. But it doesn’t end there.  Despite his claim in the Times that the FCC “will continue to prohibit any company from owning more than two television stations in any market,” Pai’s order would gut this crucial protection.

Pai’s sins of omission are part of a calculated effort to disguise his big-media handout as a gift to the public. Don't buy it. 


Pai's Big-Media Handout Won't Help Communities