The New York Times reports that the office of Federal Communications Commission's inspector general is now investigating FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's handling of deregulation over the past year that seems to favor Sinclair Broadcasting. In April 2017, Pai led efforts for the FCC to change rules about the number of stations television broadcasters may own. A few weeks after that change was made, Sinclair Broadcasting announced a $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media, which would not have been allowed under the old rules. Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey told the paper the Pai is now under investigation by the nonpartisan FCC inspector general's office. “For months I have been trying to get to the bottom of the allegations about Chairman Pai’s relationship with Sinclair Broadcasting,” Pallone said in the statement to The New York Times. “I am grateful to the FCC’s inspector general that he has decided to take up this important investigation.” The FCC inspector general's office said it would, “not comment on the existence or the nonexistence of an investigation.” Pai’s office and Sinclair Broadcasting officials declined to comment. In the past, though, Sinclair’s chief executive, Chris Ripley, has said that Pai’s relaxation of media ownership rules is a “landmark” development for his company. The Sinclair and Tribune merger would create the nation’s biggest television broadcaster, reaching seven out of 10 American homes. Public interest advocates have said the proposed merger would reduce the number of voices in media and change the coverage of local news. Already, Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns the CBS and CW affiliates in Albany, New York, injects conservative views into its local news programs. The New York Times has previously reported that Pai met and spoke with Sinclair representatives several times before announcing the new media ownership rules. A March 2017 story in The New York Post said President Donald Trump met with Sinclair’s executive chairman, David Smith, and discussed FCC rules. "The FCC and Justice Department are widely expected to approve the merger in the coming weeks," The New York Times story says.