Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has drawn sharp backlash from Democratic lawmakers and free speech supporters for threatening to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over coverage of the war in Iran.
Carr attacked the broadcasters on Saturday, shortly after President Donald Trump called reports of Iran’s attack on five U.S. tanker planes as “fake news.”
one in post on xCarr warned that broadcasters would lose their licenses if they “did not act in the public interest.” “Broadcasters who are spreading rumors and distorting the news – also known as fake news – now have a chance to get on the right track before their licenses are renewed,” Carr wrote in the post. Trump’s statement on Truth Social First Saturday.
Democrats said Carr’s comments amounted to an authoritarian attack on free speech.
“Constitutional Law 101: It’s illegal for the government to censor free speech, it’s not like it’s about Trump’s Iran war,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. wrote on saturday On X. “This threat stems directly from authoritarian tactics.”
“We are not on the verge of a totalitarian takeover,” Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Wrote in a post on X. “We’re in the middle of it.”
The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
wall street journal reported on friday Five refueling tankers were hit during an Iranian missile attack on Prince Sultan Airport in Saudi Arabia.
one in satya social postTrump called it a “deliberately misleading headline,” citing the Journal, The New York Times and what he called other “lowlife” papers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, written on x It would be “patently unconstitutional” for the FCC to withdraw the broadcast license because it disagrees with its coverage of the Iran war.
Representative Ted Lieu, D-Calif., agreed, Write Such a move would be “blatantly anti-First Amendment” and “fascist”.
Even Trump ally Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., expressed his displeasure at Carr’s comments.
“I’m a big supporter of the First Amendment, I don’t like the heavy hand of government, no matter who’s using it,” Johnson said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.” “So no, I would like the federal government to stay out of the private sector as much as possible.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech advocacy group, called the FCC chairman’s warning to broadcasters over Iran coverage “outrageous.”
“When the government demands that the press be the mouthpiece of the state under threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong.” written on x.
However, Carr responded to Warren’s statements on
Carr wrote, “No one has a First Amendment right to license or monopolize radio frequencies; denying a station a license because the ‘public interest’ requires it is not a denial of free speech.”
that quote is a direct quote By a decision of the Supreme Court in 1969 Red Lion Broadcasting Company, Inc. vs. Federal Communications CommissionWhich in turn referred to another Supreme Court case, National Broadcasting Company v. United States In 1943.
Senator Warren’s press office did not respond to a request for comment on Carr’s denial.
Carr’s threats over Iran war coverage are not the first time the Trump administration has gone after media companies for comments the president didn’t like.
ABC parent Disney broadcasts “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” brought back. The show was put on hold indefinitely in September after Carr suggested that local stations were putting their licenses at risk over host Kimmel’s comments linking the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
Nexstar Media Group, one of the largest owners of broadcast television stations, and conservative broadcast network Sinclair both temporarily removed the show from their programming.
Recently, ABC’s “The View” came under pressure when Carr said the show was under investigation for not giving equal time to opposing candidates after Texas Democratic Senate host James Tallarico hosted the show.
CBS star Stephen Colbert was also told by his network that he could not air an interview with Tallarico because they were concerned the Trump administration would consider it a violation. Colbert instead took the interview and posted it on YouTube, where FCC rules do not apply.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing that he was expecting cable giant CNN to be taken over. Paramount SkydanceCNN’s billionaire owner David Ellison hinted that the news network’s reporting may change now that the company has agreed to acquire CNN parent CNN. warner bros discovery.
He said, “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
While Trump and Carr continue to threaten media companies with losing their broadcast licenses due to unfair coverage, these licenses only apply to local TV broadcasters. Cable networks, streaming services and print publications like CNN will not be affected.