Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr threatened broadcasters with cancellation of their licenses if they did not “correct course” on news coverage.
It’s Carr’s latest threat against television broadcasters after Trump has expressed displeasure with coverage, or with a particular reporter or late-night talk-show host. Trump has suggested that networks should lose their broadcast license due to unfair coverage. Such licenses don’t apply to cable, streaming or print outlets.
The FCC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Even before Trump began his second term, he urged the FCC to “impose the maximum fines and punishment” on CBS for alleged “unlawful and illegal behavior” when it edited a 60 Minutesinterview with 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The FCC doesn’t directly license the national networks themselves, and therefore can’t bring enforcement actions against them directly. Individual local stations — including those owned by the networks and independently owned affiliates — do hold FCC licenses and are legally responsible for complying with the agency’s rules.
Revoking licenses for content the administration doesn’t like would be an unprecedented expansion of the FCC’s powers and some attempts have been successfully challenged in court.
