Nexstar Media Group Inc. has agreed to buy TV station operator Tegna Inc. for $3.5 billion in a cash deal that stands to dramatically expand Nexstar’s reach to 80% of US households and test the Trump administration’s appetite for consolidation.

To close the deal, Nexstar will need approval from the Federal Communications Commission, which could cement its position as the biggest provider of local TV in the U.S.

Nexstar had been in talks with smaller rival Tegna to merge its local TV stations amid the continuing consolidation of the U.S. broadcast sector.