FCC clears Skydance-Paramount merger as lawmakers probe influence

A major merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global cleared the Federal Communications Commission’s approval process amid renewed questions from lawmakers about possible political influence from the Trump White House on a regulatory decision. The $8 billion deal received formal clearance just weeks after Paramount resolved a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over a contested 60 Minutes edit of an interview with Kamala Harris. In separate letters, senior lawmakers asserted that the sequence of actions surrounding the settlement, the timing of editorial decisions at CBS, and the FCC’s review merit careful scrutiny to ensure the commission acted independently and in the public interest.

Senator Adam Schiff, along with other officials, has pressed the FCC for a broad accounting of how the agency assessed the merger in light of these events. In a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Schiff demanded details on discussions related to editorial decisions and content oversight at CBS, as well as what First Amendment analyses informed the commission’s decision to approve terms tied to editorial balance. Schiff also asked whether the FCC had any knowledge of or...