In the same tweet, the chairman notified that he was assigning the controversial deal for review before the administrative law judge.
Based on a thorough review of the record, I have serious concerns about the Sinclair/Tribune transaction. I have shared with my @FCC colleagues a draft order that would designate issues involving certain proposed divestitures for a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. pic.twitter.com/WnCTGiC7Da
— Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) July 16, 2018
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But Sinclair has rubbished these claims and stresses on the fact that it has never misled anyone and has been transparent about its plans. The broadcaster said it has sincerely complied with FCC rules and is willing to adjust the deal again if needed.
Related: Sinclair inches closer to Tribune deal
This latest development comes as a great relief to the Democrats and other groups who criticized the deal and believed that Sinclair/Tribune merger was favored by FCC.
Sinclair has been wrapped in a lot of controversies lately and was criticized over the favorable coverage for President Trump.
In fact, Pai himself was criticized for amending the broadcast ownership rules as many claim his actions were biased in favor of Sinclair.
Related: Sinclair to sell stations to win FCC approval for Tribune deal
Sinclair owned 6% more TV stations even before the deal. And if this deal goes through, Sinclair, which owns over 173 broadcast stations, is said to dominate in over 70% of the American households, beating major players like 21ST Century Fox (FOXA) and Nexstar (NXST).