FCC chairman defends actions against ABC, says broadcasters must operate 'in the public interest'
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated that broadcasters like ABC have a duty to operate in the public interest.
- Carr emphasized that broadcasters receive free access to airwaves in exchange for this obligation.
- ABC accused the FCC of retaliating against it for its political content and violating free speech.
- The FCC is reviewing eight ABC local broadcast licenses, which ABC claims is politically motivated.
- Carr mentioned that the agency's actions are aimed at restoring standards for trusted news media.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Friday defended his agency’s recent actions against ABC, stating that broadcasters have a duty to 'operate in the public interest.' In an interview, Carr noted that broadcasters like ABC have struck a deal with the American people, receiving subsidized access to valuable public resources in exchange for this obligation.
Carr expressed concern about the current state of the news media, saying, 'Look, as a country, we should have a trusted, respected news media, and we’re not there.' He urged broadcasters to return to their public interest obligations.
The remarks followed ABC's accusations against the FCC, claiming that the agency is attempting to chill its constitutionally protected free speech due to the political content of its shows. ABC's latest filing to the FCC highlighted over 140,000 supportive comments from viewers regarding its position on the license review.
FCC主席捍卫对ABC的行动，称广播公司必须“以公众利益为重”
FCC主席Brendan Carr在周五捍卫了该机构对ABC的近期行动，称广播公司有责任“以公众利益为重”。在一次采访中，Carr指出，像ABC这样的广播公司与美国人民达成了协议，获得了对宝贵公共资源的补贴访问权，以换取这一义务。
Carr对当前新闻媒体的状态表示担忧，称“作为一个国家，我们应该拥有一个受信任、受尊重的新闻媒体，但我们还没有达到这一点。”他呼吁广播公司回归其公众利益义务。
这一言论是在ABC指责FCC试图因其节目的政治内容而限制其宪法保护的言论自由之后发表的。ABC最近向FCC提交的文件强调了来自观众的超过140,000条支持性评论，支持其在许可证审查中的立场。