FCC chairman defends actions against ABC, says broadcasters must operate in the public interest
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said broadcasters receive access to the airwaves and therefore must operate in the public interest.
- Carr defended the FCC's recent actions involving ABC in a Fox Business Network interview, saying the agency is trying to restore that standard.
- ABC accused the FCC in a filing of trying to chill free speech and retaliating against the network because of its political content.
- The FCC is conducting an early review of eight ABC local broadcast licenses, a process ABC says is being used to target stations owned by the network.
- ABC is also contesting FCC efforts related to "The View," which the network says was previously classified as a bona fide news program and exempt from equal-time rules.
- Carr also said broadcasters should not run "news distortions" or engage in DEI discrimination, though he did not provide details.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency's recent pressure on ABC, saying broadcasters use public airwaves and must therefore operate in the public interest. In an interview with Fox Business Network, he said broadcasters have a bargain with the public and should meet that obligation.
ABC responded in a filing to the FCC by accusing the agency of retaliating against the network and trying to chill constitutionally protected speech. The company said the FCC's early review of eight ABC local station licenses amounts to targeting stations owned by ABC because of the content and viewpoints on the network.
The dispute is part of a broader clash between ABC and Carr's FCC. ABC is also fighting the agency over whether "The View" should be subject to equal-time rules, a question the network says was settled years ago when the show was classified as a bona fide news program.
Carr also said broadcasters should not run what he called news distortions or engage in DEI discrimination, though he did not elaborate. ABC pointed to more than 140,000 public comments submitted on the issue, saying most supported its position and defended free speech and press freedom.
FCC主席为针对ABC的举措辩护，称广播机构必须服务公众利益
联邦通信委员会主席布伦丹·卡尔为该机构近期对ABC施压的做法辩护，称广播机构使用公共频谱，因此必须以公众利益为导向运营。他在接受福克斯商业频道采访时表示，广播机构与公众之间存在一种约定，应当履行这一责任。
ABC则在提交给FCC的文件中指责该机构对其进行报复，并试图压制受宪法保护的言论。ABC称，FCC对8家ABC地方台进行提前审查，实际上是在因该网络的内容和观点而针对其旗下电台。
这场争议只是ABC与卡尔领导的FCC长期冲突的一部分。ABC还在反对FCC就《The View》是否应适用平等时段规则采取的措施，ABC称这一问题多年前就已解决，当时该节目被认定为真正的新闻节目。
卡尔还表示，广播机构不应进行他所说的“新闻歪曲”或参与DEI歧视，但没有进一步说明。ABC则提到，就这一问题已有14万多条公众评论提交，称其中绝大多数支持其立场，并捍卫言论自由和新闻自由。