FCC chairman defends actions against ABC, says broadcasters must operate in the public interest
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said broadcasters receive valuable public airwaves and must operate in the public interest in return.
- Carr defended the FCC's recent actions against ABC during an interview on Fox Business Network.
- ABC said in a filing that the FCC's early review of eight ABC local broadcast licenses was an attempt to chill protected speech and was retaliatory.
- The FCC opened that license review in April, and ABC said it was being singled out because of the network's political content.
- ABC is also disputing the FCC's effort to apply equal-time rules to 'The View,' which the network says was already classified as a bona fide news program in a 2002 decision.
- ABC said more than 140,000 comments had been posted to the FCC website, with over 95% supporting the network's position.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency's actions against ABC, saying broadcasters have a duty to operate in the public interest. In a Fox Business Network interview, he said broadcasters use public airwaves and should meet obligations in return for that access.
ABC responded in a filing to the FCC, arguing that the agency's early review of eight local ABC licenses is an attempt to punish the network for its political content and to chill free expression. The company said the review was launched months before those licenses were due to expire.
The dispute is part of a broader fight between ABC and the FCC. ABC is also challenging Carr's effort to make 'The View' subject to equal-time rules, which the network says the agency had already resolved decades ago by classifying the program as a bona fide news show.
ABC said public comments posted to the FCC website overwhelmingly backed the network. According to ABC, more than 140,000 comments were submitted, and more than 95% supported its position.
FCC主席为针对ABC的行动辩护，称广播机构必须‘符合公共利益’运作
联邦通信委员会主席布伦丹·卡尔为该机构针对ABC的举动辩护，称广播机构有义务以公共利益为导向运作。他在福克斯商业频道采访中表示，广播公司使用的是公共无线电波，因此应当承担相应责任。
ABC在提交给FCC的文件中回应称，FCC对其8家地方台牌照的提前审查，实际上是在惩罚该网络的政治内容，并试图压制言论自由。ABC说，这项审查是在这些牌照到期前数月启动的。
这场争议也是ABC与FCC长期冲突的一部分。ABC还在反对卡尔推动将《The View》纳入平等播出规则的做法，称FCC在20多年前就已把该节目认定为真正的新闻节目。
ABC表示，FCC网站上的公众评论大多支持该公司。根据ABC的说法，已提交的评论超过14万条，其中超过95%支持ABC的立场。