The chair of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has warned that broadcasters could have their licences revoked following criticism from President Donald Trump over coverage of the US‑Israel war with Iran.
Brendan Carr told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that broadcast licences are not a “property right” and can be withdrawn if stations fail to serve the public interest.
Carr’s warning came after he accused some broadcasters of “running hoaxes and news distortions”, adding that they still have a chance to “correct course” before licence renewals.
Some Democratic lawmakers described Carr’s remarks as unconstitutional. While the FCC grants licences to individual broadcast stations, it does not licence entire TV networks.
People have grown accustomed to thinking that licences are a kind of property right and that nothing can make a station lose them,” Brendan Carr told CBS News.
“I try to help reorient people: no, there is a public interest, and broadcasting is different.”
The FCC, the US broadcast media regulator, oversees radio, TV, and satellite airwaves, with authority over matters such as mergers, decency complaints, and licence renewals.
Carr’s warning followed a social media post from President Donald Trump, who wrote that “Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media actually want us to lose the War.” Carr responded: “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licences if they do not.”
Democratic lawmakers condemned Carr’s comments as unconstitutional.
- Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said it is illegal “for the government to censor free speech it just doesn’t like about Trump’s Iran war.”
- California Governor Gavin Newsom called Carr’s threat “flagrantly unconstitutional.”
- Senator Mark Kelly described it as “overreach by the FCC because this administration doesn’t like scrutiny and doesn’t want to be held accountable.”
Carr has previously been involved in clashes between the Trump administration and broadcasters. He called for the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, whose ABC late-night show criticized Trump and Republicans over the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s show was taken off the air but returned six days later.
Trump has also frequently targeted news outlets he considers biased, filing lawsuits against publications such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
The FCC, an independent agency, grants eight-year licences to individual broadcast stations, many owned by networks, but it does not licence entire TV networks like CBS, NBC, ABC, or Fox.
According to its website, the FCC states that the First Amendment and Communications Act prohibit censoring broadcast content, and its oversight role is “very limited.”
Its authority over content applies only to television and radio broadcasts, and does not extend to cable networks or streaming platforms.
About the Author
