Heavy hitters from both sides of the Standard General-Tegna merger debate, including former Democratic chairs of the FCC and FTC, met with the FCC’s Republican commissioners last week as the companies attempted to get the FCC to give them a thumbs up or a thumbs down on the deal ASAP.
The companies said the purpose of the meetings was “to find a path forward from the Commission’s unprecedented inaction on the deal.” Deal opponents said the meetings were futile, highly unusual and bordering on improper — they said that the Federal Communications Commission’s office of general counsel “apparently advised at least one commissioner against holding such a meeting.”
