FCC Chair Says ABC's Refusal to Air Trump Speech Will Be Reviewed in License Proceedings
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency will consider ABC's decision not to broadcast President Trump's July 16 speech during its early review of the network's eight broadcast licenses, while Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez warned against compelled speech.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency will examine ABC's choice not to air President Donald Trump's July 16 address on election security as part of an early review of the network's eight owned-and-operated stations. Carr said the review, which assesses whether stations serve the public interest, will include discussion of the network's handling of the speech.
"I think that when you have the president of the United States standing inside the White House delivering an important speech, I think that’s something that broadcasters should be carrying," Carr said at a press conference.
ABC declined to comment on the matter.
Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez countered Carr's view, emphasizing that the FCC does not dictate editorial choices and that forcing broadcasters to carry specific content would constitute censorship and compelled speech.
"It is not for the FCC to tell broadcasters how to make their editorial decisions or what content to place on their networks or their local broadcast stations," Gomez said. "If we tell them they can’t broadcast something, that’s censorship, and it’s compelled speech if we tell them they have to do so."
Gomez added that the public-interest standard should not be used to punish speech the administration dislikes.
The FCC previously ordered ABC to reapply for spectrum licenses on an accelerated schedule, citing an investigation into the company's diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Disney filed the renewal applications "under protest," describing the order as unlawful and unconstitutional, and later launched a viewer outreach campaign about the proceeding.