FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Probes Comcast Relations With NBC Stations

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr informed Comcast on Tuesday that he has launched an investigation into the company’s relations with its NBC affiliates, days after President Trump called for the network to be held “accountable” for favoring the Democratic Party and threatened to revoke broadcast licenses.

In a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Carr argued that the national network has increasingly asserted control over local stations, and that that has eroded the public’s trust in news coverage.

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“Americans no longer trust the national news outlets to report fully, accurately, and fairly,” Carr wrote. “The FCC has an interest in and the authority to promote the public interest and to ensure that local broadcast TV stations retain the economic and operational independence necessary to meet their public interest obligations.”

The FCC regulates local stations, but does not have direct authority over networks or their programming. Since assuming office, Carr has frequently argued that the FCC has a stake in ensuring that local stations maintain community trust, and also that the national networks are to blame for a decline in trust.

The FCC does have somewhat greater authority over economic arrangements among networks, affiliates and cable companies. Though network-affiliate negotiations are typically a private affair, the agency has occasionally been called upon to intervene in the past.

A Comcast NBCU spokesperson stated that the company will cooperate in responding to Carr’s questions.

“We are proud that for many decades we have supported local broadcast TV stations with world-class sports and entertainment, enabling them to drive viewership in a media environment that has grown increasingly competitive,” the spokesperson said. “Local stations are a critical part of Americans’ lives as a trusted source for news and life-saving weather information, and we will continue to invest heavily in this partnership to keep the broadcast business strong.”

The letter comes on the heels of the FCC’s approval last week of the Skydance-Paramount merger. As part of that deal, Skydance pledged to install an ombudsman at CBS for two years to field complaints about media bias.

On Saturday, President Trump took aim at the other two broadcast networks in a Truth Social post.

“Wow, ‘Concast’s’ NBC is down in viewership almost 28% this year,” Trump wrote. “Their programming is terrible, their management even worse. They are an arm of the Democrat Party, and should be held accountable for that. Likewise, Fake News ABC!!!”

He later wrote: “Networks aren’t allowed to be political pawns for the Democrat Party. It has become so outrageous that, in my opinion, their licenses could, and should, be revoked! MAGA.”

Trump has also celebrated CBS’ cancellation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” and predicted that Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon — of ABC and NBC, respectively — will be next.

Newsmax was first to report on the Carr letter. In February, Carr announced a probe of diversity, equity and inclusion policies at Comcast. A similar FCC investigation of Disney was announced in March.

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