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A coalition of nonprofit groups and labor unions filed an emergency petition on Friday aimed at blocking the Federal Communications Commission’s recent repeal of a decades-old rule that limited consolidation among television broadcasters, a move that would allow media conglomerates to seize even more control over local news stations.

The petition states that the Republican-controlled FCC’s decision — pushed by Chair Brendan Carr and approved in August in a 2-1 vote along party lines — was “plainly contrary to law and violates core administrative law principles.” The filing notes that Congress enacted the rule barring any single TV broadcaster from reaching more than 39% of US households — and only Congress can roll it back.

“The FCC simply cannot ignore the laws Congress makes just because the current agency head wants to,” said Matt Wood, vice president of policy at Free Press, one of the groups that joined the new motion. “Chairman Carr serves only [President] Donald Trump, not the........

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