ABC could face fresh scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission after the network declined to air President Donald Trump’s primetime address on its broadcast network, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr suggested this week.
ABC and NBC both passed on the speech, which focused on election security and alleged vulnerabilities in the 2020 election, on their over-the-air networks. CNN also did not carry the address, though cable channels are not subject to the same FCC broadcast licensing rules as traditional television networks.
“I was asked at the beginning of the week whether I thought broadcasters should air the president’s remarks, and I said, of course they should,” Carr told Fox News Digital. “And they should do so because they have an obligation at the end of the day to operate in the public interest to serve the needs of their communities. And I think making sure that people have access to significant presidential addresses is part and parcel of what all broadcasters should want to do.”
Although broadcasters have skipped presidential primetime addresses in the past, Carr indicated the issue is far from settled.
“There’s been a lot of interest in Congress. Obviously, we got a letter from Congress asking us to investigate the decisions to do this or not do this, and we’re reviewing the letter itself, at least at this point. And there’s been a lot of interest in this, so we’ll see where it goes,” Carr said.
The FCC chairman was referring to a letter sent Monday by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., urging the agency to review whether the broadcast networks met their legal obligation to operate in the public interest after declining to air Trump’s remarks.
“Broadcasters may criticize, analyze, or fact-check the President’s statements,” Carter wrote. “However, refusing to air a major presidential address because executives disagree with its content raises serious concerns that they intended to keep Americans in the dark about potential foreign interference in our elections.”
While the speech did not air on ABC or NBC’s broadcast networks, both companies streamed the address on their digital platforms.
Carr also told reporters Wednesday that Disney’s decision could become part of ongoing FCC proceedings involving the company.
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“I’m sure that there are going to be points raised in that proceeding that relate to Disney’s decision…” he said. “Again, we’re going to hold all broadcasters to the public interest obligations, and we’re always looking to make sure they do exactly that.”
The FCC moved in April to accelerate renewal reviews for the licenses of eight Disney-owned ABC stations. Those stations must demonstrate they have served the public interest as regulators also examine Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The licenses had originally been scheduled for renewal between 2028 and 2031 before the process was expedited.
Not all conservatives support turning routine license renewals into a political battleground.
On Thursday, 14 conservative organizations led by the Center for Individual Freedom backed Carr’s broader deregulatory agenda while cautioning the FCC against making broadcast license renewals less predictable.
“Our concern is that establishing precedents of non-routine renewal creates a powerful lever that future FCCs — including ones hostile to conservative, religious, or otherwise disfavored broadcasters — would be all too willing to pull. The surest protection against that future is to keep the renewal process predictable today,” the groups wrote.
The FCC has also opened an investigation into ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” over allegations it failed to provide equal treatment to political candidates. ABC has argued the program qualifies for the FCC’s long-standing “bona fide” news exemption, which the agency recognized in a 2002 ruling and exempts the show from equal-time requirements.
Not every ABC affiliate skipped Trump’s address. ABC and NBC stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group broke away from network programming and aired the president’s speech.
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