Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman, attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) USA 2026 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, in Grapevine, Texas, U.S. March 27, 2026. REUTERS
(Reuters) – The ranking members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee questioned the Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and criticized his approval of Nexstar’s merger with Tegna without a vote from the full commission, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
Here are some details:
- The letter to Carr was jointly sent by the committee’s Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Democrat Maria Cantwell, the Bloomberg report said.
- The senators told Carr that he improperly allowed agency staff to approve the merger even though it involved waiving major anti-consolidation rules, Bloomberg said, citing a copy of the letter.
- The senators said that significant questions of policy must be addressed by the full FCC in a vote.
- The FCC approved the $3.54 billion sale of local television station owner Tegna to Nexstar earlier this month, despite objections from Democratic-led states, after which the companies quickly closed the deal.
- However, last week, a U.S. judge ordered Nexstar to temporarily keep Tegna’s assets separate pending a review of whether the deal violates federal antitrust laws.
- The FCC, the Senate Commerce Committee, Cruz and Cantwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.
Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonali Paul and Thomas Derpinghaus
