Policyband

FCC Says It Will Vote on Media Bureau Approval of Nexstar-TEGNA Merger Sometime 'This Year'

Agency tells D.C. Circuit the deal is under 'active consideration,' but wants the ‘typically deferential approach toward the management of its own limited resources’

Ted Hearn

May 12, 2026 — 12 min read

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TV Merger: The FCC told a federal appeals court Monday it expected to vote this year on whether to uphold its staff’s approval of the $6.2 billion Nexstar‑TEGNA merger but warned judges not to dictate its timetable. Appellants “have given the Court no good reason to take this extraordinary step,” FCC General Counsel Adam Candeub wrote in a court filing, arguing that a court‑ordered deadline “would mark a dramatic departure from the Court’s typically deferential approach toward an agency’s management of its own limited resources.” A three‑judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had asked when the three FCC Commissioners would fulfill their “nondiscretionary obligation” to vote on the Media Bureau’s March 19 approval of the deal, as requested by merger foes. In the filing, the FCC said the application for review “is now under active consideration” and that it expects to act “this year.” (More after paywall)