I'm writing to express my deep and very serious concerns about Sinclair Broadcasting's proposed acquisition of Tribune Media.

One of the cornerstones of the American political system is a free media to hold our systems accountable and ensure that the public has adequate, unbiased information, to make decisions. Media consolidation in itself poses direct challenges to this underpinning, but Sinclair itself is also a threat because of their history of marketplace distortion and biased reporting. To allow Sinclair to be exempt from regulations around the number of broadcast stations they own would allow them to further distort this market and undermine the very balance between freedom and setting the appropriate rules by which players in a market must engage to ensure access and fairness among participants (and in this case, consumers of news and media).

Please protect the diversity of voices among local broadcasters, and don't allow Sinclair to further consolidate and distort the marketplace of ideas.

Respectfully,

Kaitlin Abbitt
Longmont, CO