Amidst recent discussions surrounding broadcast licenses, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reaffirming its commitment to holding broadcast television stations accountable to their public interest obligations. Chairman Brendan Carr addressed the issue, emphasizing the unique responsibilities that come with holding a broadcast license.
Carr's remarks followed questions regarding calls for ABC to potentially lose its license. "Broadcast television stations are simply different than any other means of distribution," Carr stated during a press conference. "They have a license and they have a public interest obligation. And we’re going to hold them accountable to that."
Commissioner Anna Gomez highlighted that national networks themselves do not directly hold FCC licenses; instead, individual local television stations do. She cautioned against the FCC revoking a license based on unfavorable reporting by a network, citing potential conflicts with the First Amendment. "National networks that the administration is targeting are not licensed by the FCC, but the local broadcasters are," Gomez said. "And if the FCC were to take the unprecedented step to revoke a license on the grounds that reporting by a network is unfavorable to this administration, it would run headlong into the First Amendment and fail in court."
The FCC’s Media Bureau has initiated a proceeding to gather public input on the relationship between local broadcasters and national networks, examining potential imbalances of power. Carr noted that this review aims to ensure local stations can adequately serve their communities' needs. "There’s long been a federal rule that gives local broadcasters the right to preempt national programming that they don’t think meets the needs of their local communities," Carr said. "But local broadcasters have, from my understanding, from what they’ve told me over the years, been hesitant to exercise that right.”
Gomez emphasized the importance of clearly defining the public interest standard, including promoting competition, serving local communities, and ensuring diversity of viewpoints. "The public interest standard does not mean that this administration, this FCC, gets to regulate content that we don’t like," Gomez said. "The Communications Act actually prohibits the FCC from censorship. And, of course, the First Amendment protects against that censorship as well."
The FCC is also reviewing broadcast ownership rules, including the 39 percent national audience reach cap, to assess its impact on the relationship between national programmers and local stations. Carr said the review examines whether current rules create an imbalance of power between national programmers and local television stations. He said one potential benefit of modifying the cap could be to “help balance some of the power between local TV stations, again, which aren’t necessarily owned by the national programmers and the national programmers themselves.”
The commission’s open investigation into ABC regarding the network’s handling of the 2024 presidential debate remains ongoing.