WASHINGTON – Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01), who serves as the top Democrat on the House Antitrust Subcommittee, issued the following statement today after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed purchase of Tribune Media will be subject to a review process by an administrative law judge:

“This is the right decision. If Sinclair buys Tribune, it will control the local TV news market. It will be able to raise costs, eliminate jobs, and threaten the integrity of local reporting.”

“Media consolidation doesn’t just raise the possibility of higher prices on consumers—it raises far deeper concerns about the ability of corporate monopolies, motivated both by profit and politics, to influence public opinion by injecting or withholding information from elected officials and voters.” 

“Vigorous antitrust enforcement is one of the most important tools to protect our democracy against the concentration of economic power. The American people expect the FCC to prevent mergers like this one.”