FCC chair rejects Trump call to pull ABC licenses over presidential debate [View all]
Source: Reuters
September 19, 2024 8:53 PM EDT Updated 8 hours ago
WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The chair of the Federal Communications Commission rejected former U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that Walt Disney-owned (DIS.N) ABC should lose its broadcast licenses over the network's moderating of the Sept. 10 presidential debate.
"The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The Commission does not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage," FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said on Thursday. The FCC, an independent federal agency, does not license broadcast networks, but issues them to individual broadcast stations that are renewed for eight-year periods.
Trump claimed the debate was "rigged" because the ABC News moderators fact checked several comments he made. "They ought to take away their license for the way they did that," Trump told Fox News. The Trump campaign and Disney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rosenworcel, a Democrat, made the statement after Senators Ed Markey and Ron Wyden had asked all five FCC commissioners to address Trump's comments. The senators, both Democrats, said the former president's "threat to revoke an FCC license over his dissatisfaction with ABC’s handling of the debate is a serious threat to the First Amendment and antithetical to the FCC’s mission."
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fcc-chair-rejects-trump-call-pull-abc-licenses-over-presidential-debate-2024-09-19/
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