The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday resumed its review of how ABC News moderated the pre-election television debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, as well as Kamala Harris's 60 Minutes show on CBS and NBC 's "Saturday Night Live" appearance.
Last week, then-FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel said the commission rejected complaints that "seek to weaponize the FCC's licensing authority in a manner that is fundamentally inconsistent with the First Amendment." Then, on Wednesday, the FCC said in a series of orders that the complaints had been prematurely dismissed "due to insufficient documentation of the investigation."
The FCC is an independent federal agency that issues eight-year licenses to individual broadcast stations, not networks. The complaint identifies specific stations at the three broadcasters. NBC, Walt Disney's ABC and Paramount's CBS had no immediate comment.
Brendan Carr, whom Trump appointed as FCC chairman on Monday, declined to comment, but told Fox News Business on Wednesday that a key focus will be "looking at the media and making sure they are meeting their public interest obligations."
Carr has previously criticized Comcast-owned NBC for allowing Harris to appear on "Saturday Night Live" before the election. Rosenworcel noted that NBC gave Trump equal time and viewers during both sporting events.
FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez, a Democrat, responded: "We cannot allow our licensing agencies to be weaponized to restrict press freedom. The First Amendment is the backbone of American democracy, and our country needs a country free from regulators interfere with the media.”
Rosenworcel also said last week that the agency rejected a petition from Fox Philadelphia not to renew its license. The FCC did not reinstate the complaint.
In September, Trump urged the FCC to cancel ABC's license for hosting the September 10 presidential debate.
Newsletter Promotion Post
Trump filed a lawsuit in October over CBS's 60 Minutes interview with Harris, calling it "misleading" and asking the committee to force the broadcaster to release the transcript.