The opposition to Sinclair Broadcast Group's nearly $4 billion merger with Tribune Media Co., is fighting the deal with words and documents.

The Hunt Valley, Md.-headquartered Sinclair's acquisition, announced three months ago, could create a broadcasting powerhouse with more than 200 TV stations in 108 markets.

Not all in the media and TV industry think such a deal should be approved by regulators. "We believe this merger as proposed is unlawful, not in the public interest and should be rejected," said Matthew Polka, CEO of the American Cable Association Monday. The ACA represents about 750 smaller telecom/broadband/pay-TV providers in small and rural areas.

Joining the ACA in a news conference Monday was watchdog group Common Cause, One American News Network, Computer and Communications Industry Association, and Competitive Carriers Association. The groups also filed documents opposing the merger with the FCC.



Among other groups submitting opposition filings Monday -- the last official day to do so with the agency — were Dish Network, NTCA — The Rural Broadband Association, and Washington-based public interest group Public Knowledge.

With its 200-plus stations, a combined Sinclair-Tribune company, opponents note, would surpass the federally-mandated maximum reach of 39% of national TV homes. Sinclair has said its reach would grow to 72% of U.S. homes across 108 markets including 39 of the top 50.

And the broadcaster would own two of the top four affiliates in 10 of the 14 markets where the two companies currently operate on their own, which opponents argue is a violation of the Federal Communications Commission's television ownership rules.

But Sinclair, already the largest U.S. broadcaster with 173 stations, expects to benefit from a recent FCC move that loosens TV ownership rules. A so-called UHF discount, which allows broadcasters to count only UHF stations as having only half the reach of VHF channels would let broadcasters wider growth options.

The FCC in April, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, reinstated the UHF discount. Back in September 2016, the FCC, then led by Democrat Tom Wheeler, had passed a motion to eliminate the measure. Pai has said he may support the eventual elimination of the UHF discount, but as part of a overall review of the ownership cap.

"We don’t think we need to sell any" of the 14 markets where there are currently Sinclair and Tribune stations, said Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley said in May in a discussion of the deal. "When you take a look at all the overlaps they really have no impact on overall competition and we hope that the regulators will agree with us."

As for the public interest gains from the Sinclair-Tribune merger, the broadcaster told the FCC, in its own filings, the transaction would increase "its operational efficiencies, allowing Sinclair to upgrade the stations’ facilities, expand the stations’ local coverage (including local news), offer even greater value to multi-channel video distributors, and increase syndicated and original programming offerings."

But those opposing the merger say those public interest benefits fall short. "It would turn Sinclair into the nation’s largest broadcast conglomerate and lead to higher prices, more station blackouts, less choice, and less local news for millions of consumers," said Dish Network in its petition to deny the merger.

In recent months, Sinclair has faced criticism — in stories by The New York Times, The Washington Post and on Last Week Tonight by John Oliver — for "must-run" video segments produced for local stations and other concerns about its conservative-leaning practices.



Sinclair "comes with an ideology that is far more focused on conservative points of view than any sense of balance or any deep-dive journalism," said Michael Copps, a former FCC commissioner and special adviser to Common Cause.

"No one company should have such power over the news and information that citizens must have if they are going to cast intelligent votes and practice successfully the art of self-government," Copps said.

About Copps' comments, Scott Livingston, Sinclair's vice president of news, said, "I find that to be outrageous and it’s also an insult to more than 4000 hardworking journalists across Sinclair."

"Our agenda is to serve up relevant information that our local communities value," Livingston said. "And If we weren’t serving our viewers with information they care about, we would be out of business, right?"

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.