FCC chairman defends actions against ABC, says broadcasters must operate 'in the public interest'
- Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency's actions against ABC, emphasizing that broadcasters have a duty to operate in the public interest.
- Carr stated that broadcasters receive free access to airwaves worth billions and must uphold their obligations to the public.
- ABC accused the FCC of retaliating against it for its political content, claiming the agency's actions threaten free speech.
- The FCC is reviewing eight ABC local broadcast licenses, which ABC argues is a politically motivated attack.
- Carr mentioned that the FCC's focus includes diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at ABC.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended his agency's recent actions against ABC, stating that broadcasters have a duty to operate in the public interest. In an interview, he emphasized that broadcasters like ABC have struck a deal with the American people, receiving free access to valuable public resources in exchange for upholding public interest standards.
Carr expressed concern about the current state of the news media, stating, "Look, as a country, we should have a trusted, respected news media, and we’re not there." He called for more broadcasters to return to their public interest obligations.
The remarks followed ABC's accusations that the FCC was retaliating against it for the political content of its shows. ABC claimed that the agency's actions were an attempt to chill free speech across the media landscape. The FCC's review of ABC's local broadcast licenses has been characterized by ABC as politically motivated, particularly in light of the administration's criticism of the network's content.
FCC主席捍卫对ABC的行动，称广播公司必须“服务公众利益”
联邦通信委员会主席布伦丹·卡尔捍卫了该机构对ABC的近期行动，表示广播公司有责任服务公众利益。在一次采访中，他强调像ABC这样的广播公司与美国人民达成了协议，获得了对有价值公共资源的免费访问权，以换取维护公众利益标准。
卡尔对目前新闻媒体的状态表示担忧，称“作为一个国家，我们应该拥有一个值得信赖、受尊重的新闻媒体，而我们还没有达到这一点。”他呼吁更多广播公司回归其公众利益义务。
这些言论是在ABC指责FCC因其节目的政治内容对其进行报复之后发表的。ABC声称，该机构的行动是试图在整个媒体环境中抑制言论自由。FCC对ABC地方广播许可证的审查被ABC视为出于政治动机，特别是在考虑到政府对该网络内容的批评。