FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Reviews ABC Licenses Over Trump Address

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency will consider ABC's decision not to broadcast a live address by President Donald Trump during the review of the network's broadcast licenses. President Trump used the address to allege that China illegally accessed U.S. voter files; while ABC streamed the speech digitally, it did not carry it live, a decision shared by CNN and NBC.

Carr asserted that broadcasters should carry a president speaking from the White House to comply with the public interest. However, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized this position, arguing that the agency lacks the legal authority to punish broadcasters for exercising First Amendment rights regarding editorial decisions and newsworthiness.

The dispute follows early license renewal applications filed by ABC and the Walt Disney Company for eight stations. These filings occurred under an FCC directive involving investigations into Disney's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, as well as a separate inquiry into whether the program 'The View' violated the federal equal time rule.