FCC chairman defends actions against ABC, says broadcasters must operate 'in the public interest'
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said broadcasters receive subsidized access to the public airwaves and must operate in the public interest.
- Carr made the comments in a Fox Business Network interview and said the FCC is trying to restore that standard.
- ABC accused the FCC of trying to chill free speech and of retaliating against the network because of its political content.
- ABC is opposing the FCC's early review of eight of its local broadcast licenses, which the agency opened in April.
- The dispute also includes FCC efforts over 'The View' and comments from President Donald Trump targeting Jimmy Kimmel.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency's recent actions against ABC, saying broadcasters have an obligation to operate in the public interest. In an interview on Fox Business Network, he said broadcasters receive access to the airwaves, a public resource, in exchange for that duty.
Carr said the FCC is trying to restore what he described as a public-interest standard, and argued that broadcasters should not run news distortions or what he called hoaxes. He also said he hoped more broadcasters would return to those obligations.
ABC responded by accusing the FCC of trying to chill constitutionally protected free speech and of retaliating because the agency dislikes the network's political content. In a filing, ABC formally opposed the FCC's early review of eight local broadcast licenses, saying the review was aimed at stations owned by ABC and driven by the administration's criticism of the network.
The broader dispute also includes FCC action involving 'The View' and a separate conflict over late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. ABC said public comments on the issue have overwhelmingly supported its position.
FCC主席为针对ABC的行动辩护，称广播机构必须服务公共利益
美国联邦通信委员会主席布伦丹·卡尔为该机构近期针对ABC的举动辩护，称广播机构有义务服务公共利益。他在福克斯商业频道接受采访时表示，广播机构因使用公共频谱资源而承担相应责任。
卡尔说，FCC正试图恢复他所称的公共利益标准，并称广播内容不应包含他所说的失实报道或欺骗性内容。他还表示，希望更多广播机构回到这类义务之中。
ABC则指责FCC试图压制受宪法保护的言论自由，并因不喜欢该台的政治内容而进行报复。ABC在一份提交文件中正式反对FCC对其8个地方广播许可证的提前审查，称这一审查针对的是ABC旗下电视台，且受到政府对该台批评的推动。
这场更广泛的争议还包括FCC针对《The View》的行动，以及围绕深夜节目主持人吉米·坎摩尔的另一场冲突。ABC表示，就这一问题收到的公众意见大多支持其立场。