FCC chairman defends actions against ABC, says broadcasters must operate 'in the public interest'
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency’s actions against ABC in a Fox Business Network interview, saying broadcasters must operate in the public interest.
- Carr said broadcasters receive access to the public airwaves and therefore have obligations in return, including avoiding news distortions and broadcast hoaxes.
- ABC accused the FCC of trying to chill protected speech and retaliating against the network because of its political content.
- The dispute includes the FCC’s early review of eight ABC local broadcast licenses and Carr’s effort to consider whether "The View" should be subject to equal-time rules.
- ABC said the network had received more than 140,000 public comments on the issue, with more than 95% supporting its position.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency’s recent actions against ABC, arguing that broadcasters have a duty to serve the public interest. In an interview on Fox Business Network, he said TV stations receive valuable access to public airwaves and must meet obligations in return.
Carr said the FCC is trying to restore that standard and suggested broadcasters should avoid what he described as news distortions and other abuses. He also said the country should have a trusted news media and that more broadcasters should return to their public-interest responsibilities.
ABC has pushed back strongly, saying the FCC is targeting it because of the political content of its programming. In a filing to the agency, the network said the commission’s early review of eight local ABC licenses amounted to retaliation and a broader warning to media companies about how they cover the news.
The broader dispute also includes Carr’s effort to make "The View" subject to equal-time rules, which ABC says the FCC settled more than 20 years ago. ABC said public comments on the issue have been overwhelmingly supportive of the network’s position.
FCC主席为针对ABC的行动辩护，称广播机构必须“符合公众利益”
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众利益。他在福克斯商业频道采访中表示，电视台获得了使用公共无线电波这一宝贵资源的机会，因此必须承担相应责任。
卡尔说，FCC正在试图恢复这一标准，并暗示广播机构应避免他所称的新闻歪曲等问题。他还表示，美国应当拥有值得信任的新闻媒体，并希望更多广播机构回到其公众利益义务上。
ABC则强烈反驳，称FCC是因为其节目中的政治内容而针对该台。ABC在提交给FCC的文件中说，委员会对8个地方台执照进行提前审查，等同于报复，也是在向媒体公司传递信号，影响其新闻报道方式。
这场更大的争议还包括卡尔推动将《The View》纳入平等时间规则的讨论，而ABC称FCC对此在20多年前就已作出决定。ABC还表示，围绕这一问题的公众评论大多支持该台的立场。