John Eggerton reports at Broadcasting and Cable that a group of public interest nonprofits -- Free Press, Media Mobilizing Project, Prometheus Radio Project, National Hispanic Media Coalition, and Common Cause -- have petitioned a federal court to stay the Federal Communications Commission's April 20 reinstatement of the so-called UHF discount. The court has told the FCC to respond by June 1, as the old rules are slated to go back into effect June 5. The UHF discount counts viewers to UHF television stations as less than full people, allowing owners to acquire more stations than they normally would be allowed. UHF stations were higher on the old analog dial, with reception issues. UHF TV stations were like AM radio stations, compared to VHF stations with better reception like FM radio. Obviously, this is an old rule from a bygone age. The petitioners here believe the FCC acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner, conceding the rule is obsolete and does not serve the public interest. The FCC voted 2-1 along political lines to restore the discount, allowing deals such as Sinclair's proposed $3.9 billion purchase of Tribune to move forward.