Empire State Today

Two top Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials have denounced House Democrats' queries on conservative news outlets. 

Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) and Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in a letter sent to 12 cable, satellite and streaming companies, claimed that conservative-leaning Fox, Newsmax, and One America News spread misinformation about the 2020 general election and about COVID-19. They demanded answers as to why carriers were broadcasting these television outlets.

The two FCC commissioners, Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington released separate responses to the letter.

"To the House Democrats that used their official letterhead to launch this inquiry, I would say this: Your demand to know the ‘moral principles’ that guide a private entity’s decision about what news to carry cannot be reconciled with bedrock principles of free speech and journalistic freedom,” Carr said in the statement as reported by The Epoch Times. 

He went on to say that the attempts were targeted on specific news channels that do not report with a bias toward Democrats.

“This is a chilling transgression of the free speech rights that every media outlet in this country enjoys,” he said, adding, “more speech is better than less. Yet the concerted effort by Democrats to drive political dissent from the public square represents a marked departure from these First Amendment norms. A newsroom’s decision about what stories to cover and how to frame them should be beyond the reach of any government official, not targeted by them." The Epoch Times reported. 

Simington sided with Carr, calling the House Democrats' conduct worrying.

“This is particularly concerning because the House Energy and Commerce Committee supervises the Communications Act, and their statement could be read to imply that action will be taken under the Communications Act should the recipients not agree in advance to chill their speech,” the commissioner said, as reported by The Epoch Times. 

“I trust the American people to make up their own minds regarding to whom they choose to listen.”

The questions asked of the carriers included from what moral or ethical principles they apply in deciding which channels to carry, how many subscribers tuned into the networks in the weeks preceding the presidential election, and whether they’ve taken adverse actions against any channel following the election or the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.

A subcommittee hearing has been slated for today and will be led by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).

Fox News and Newsmax have bemoaned the lawmakers’ conduct, saying that their actions set “a terrible precedent.” The Epoch Times reported.

In January, CNN called for cable carriers to remove Newsmax in an effort to eliminate competition, Newsmax asserted.