NEW YORK, September 26. /TASS/. The United States Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has approved billionaire George Soros’ purchase of the Audacy platform that brings together more than 200 radio stations with a total audience of over 165 mln, the New York Post writes, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, the commission’s three democrats voted for the move, while the two republicans voted against it. The New York Post writes that "the FCC decision to fast-track his deal is the first time in modern history such a deal has been approved by the full Commission without first running the national security review process - a process that could take up to a year or more."

The New York Post also notes that the decision, made "just weeks before the presidential election" causes concern among Republicans. One of the sources doubts that local radio stations will keep broadcasting conservative talk radio hosts if purchased by Soros.

Fox News, in turn, cited an FCC spokesperson who said that "no decision is final until the commission releases it, which we have not." The broadcaster points out that the deal concerns the second-largest radio station group in the country.

The US presidential election is slated for November 5. Incumbent US President Joe Biden was supposed to be the Democratic candidate in the election. However, he decided to drop out of the race after his poor performance in a June debate with his predecessor Donald Trump who later became the Republican presidential nominee. In July, Biden announced a decision to end his re-election bid and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him.