FCC Review of ABC’s Broadcast License Following Trump’s Speech
Brendan Carr, the current Chairman of the FCC, indicated that ABC’s choice to not air President Trump’s recent speech on election security will be an important part of an investigation regarding broadcast licensing.
In his speech, President Trump claimed that China “illegally accessed millions of voter files” as part of a larger effort to influence the U.S. elections in 2018 and 2020. He specifically called out ABC and NBC for their decision not to broadcast his remarks live.
Trump stated, “In an unusual move, NBC and ABC Fake News both announced they would not cover this speech. They knew what it was about. Such fraud should mean revocation of your license.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, Carr announced that the FCC would evaluate ABC’s broadcast license to determine if it is “operating in the public interest.” He noted, “I’m sure there will be points made in that process” concerning the decision against airing Trump’s speech.
“When the president of the United States stands inside the White House and gives an important speech, I think that’s the responsibility of the broadcasters,” Carr emphasized, stating that the FCC would uphold its standards for all broadcasters.
However, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, appointed by President Biden, disagreed with Carr’s stance. She argued that broadcasters shouldn’t be directed on how to handle their editorial choices.
“We must always be mindful that the FCC does not dictate how broadcasters should make editorial decisions or what content to air on networks or local stations,” Gomez remarked. “They have a First Amendment right to make those decisions. In fact, telling them they can’t broadcast something is censorship; compelling them to do so is coercion of speech. So there’s nothing here that violates any rules or legal provisions regarding these networks.”
Gomez further stated, “I continue to say that this nebulous public interest standard is being used solely to punish speech that the regime doesn’t like while rewarding the speech it does. That’s inappropriate and contrary to the law and the Constitution.”
