Local TV broadcaster Sinclair, Inc has agreed to settle an investigation launched by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year over its handling of several matters.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sinclair will pay a $500,000 civil penalty and implement a two-year compliance plan aimed at preventing future violations. While the broadcaster agreed to the conditions set forth in the consent decree, it did not admit to any wrongdoing or violations of FCC rules.
The resolution stems in part from a broader FCC enforcement effort targeting violations of children’s programming regulations. In September, the Commission issued a forfeiture order totaling $3.334 million against 19 station groups for exceeding limits on commercial content during children’s shows. Sinclair was assessed the largest individual fine of $2.652 million, which covered multiple violations across 113 stations. The new consent decree specifically addresses and resolves Sinclair’s portion of that penalty.
In addition to the children’s programming infractions, the settlement also closes investigations into other regulatory issues. These include Sinclair’s failure to timely upload issues/programs lists and commercial limits certifications to station online public inspection files, a lapse in submitting a license renewal application for translator station K33MJ-D in Pahrump, Nevada, and violations related to closed captioning compliance at WUHF in Rochester, New York. In the latter case, the FCC cited Sinclair for failing to pass through required captioning content and for not properly monitoring signal transmissions related to accessibility.
The two-year compliance plan now required of Sinclair will include regular reporting and internal controls to ensure adherence to FCC rules moving forward.
