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mu.sl1ington, 1l}Qt 20515 
The Ilonorable Ajit V. Pai 
C hairman 
Federal Communi cations Commission 
445 12'11 Street, S.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20554 
Dear Chairman Pai: 
November 8, 20 I 7 
We write to ra ise serious concerns regarding your proposa l to essentia ll y e liminate the existing broadcast 
TV ownership rules with virtually no public input. This action, taken by way of a Reconsideration Order, 
is an obvious altempt to evade the notice and comment requirements that should accompany a decision of 
this magnitude. 
The draft you released on October 27 takes stcps akin to a statutorily-required Quadre1mial Review of 
these same rules. Yet the sweeping deregulation, done at the behest of Sinclair Broadcast Group, among 
others, will provide the public with almost no opportunity to offer input and relies on data from three 
years ago. Using such tactics is contrary to prior reviews by the Commission, shirks the Commission's 
duties under the Administrative Procedures Act , and is a di sservice to the public interest. 
Americans care strongly about these issues, as evidenced by the high level of public participation in the 
Sinclair-Tribune merger. Aside from the parties to the applications, practically all of the publ ic comments 
in that merger docket are strictly opposed due to concerns about consolidation and the impact on local 
news. The local TV ownership rule changes you propose to make in this Reconsideration Order 
effectively pave the way for Sinclair to merge with Tribune without any divestitures at the local level, but 
at a serious cost to diversity of viewpoint from local news outlets. 
This path of least resistance to approval appears only lo benefit the few at the cost to the many. 
Americans rely on their local TV broadcasters for local and diverse content. It is frightening to imagine 
what the future holds if the Commission votes in favor of your proposal. There will be few boundaries for 
Sinclair-or other broadcasters- from consolidating the use of these important public airwaves into fewer 
and fewer hands. 
We request that you seek additional public comment on these proposed rule changes. A transparent and 
open process will a llow for a more thorough debate and bett er inform the Commission with current data 
before it lakes such dramatic action. 
CNERNEY 
Sincerely, 
)!/,~ 'ii&---
MTKEDOYLE I 
Member of Congress 
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Member of Congress 
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Member of Congress 
PETER WELCH 
Member of Congress 
Member of Congress 
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DIANA DEGETTE 
Member of Congress 
BEN RAY LUJAN 
Member of Congress 
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PAUL D. TONKO 
Member of Congress 
B~~U~ u, 
Member of Congress 
ELIOT L. ENGEL 
Member of Congress