The FCC just broke the law. Here’s what we’re doing about it.
The FCC just broke the law. Here’s what we’re doing about it.
- Sat, Mar 21 2026 at 11:23 AM
Mark, it happened.
On Thursday night, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr rubber-stamped Nexstar’s $6.2 billion takeover of Tegna, which could give one company control of 265 TV stations reaching 80 percent of U.S. households. That’s more than double the legal limit Congress set.
Carr didn’t even hold a public vote. He pushed the decision through a bureau, bypassing his own commissioners and the public hearing scheduled for next week. The Department of Justice approved the deal without conditions the same night.
Let’s be very clear: This deal is unlawful. And we’re not going to let it stand.
In a minute, we’ll lay out what the road ahead looks like. Free Press doesn’t take a cent from business, government or political parties. Will you make your first gift today to help us stop this unlawful merger with everything we’ve got?Here’s why this deal is not done yet, and why your support matters right now.
In December, Free Press joined labor unions and civil-rights groups in petitioning the FCC to reject this merger. We filed detailed legal comments showing why Carr simply cannot waive a cap that Congress wrote into law. We organized dozens of groups, including the NAACP, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Communications Workers of America and the Writers Guild, to join our opposition to the merger.
Carr ignored all of it.
But if the FCC won’t follow the law or do its job, antitrust enforcers can still do theirs. On Wednesday, eight state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the deal. And we can expect more legal challenges in the days ahead.
Congress got it right when it sought to limit the influence one media conglomerate has over nationwide political discourse. Free Press is determined to make sure that limit means something. But we can’t do it without you.
Powerful corporations like Nexstar and Tegna have armies of lobbyists and lawyers. Free Press has people like you.
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