FCC Review Requested After Networks Cut Trump’s Address

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., has called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to scrutinize the broadcast actions of ABC, NBC, and CBS. These networks either did not air or ceased their coverage of President Donald Trump’s primetime address on July 16. In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital and sent on Monday, Carter urged FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to evaluate if the networks failed their duty to ‘serve the public interest’ and whether future broadcast license proceedings should consider their actions.

Carter stressed that the ‘public airwaves’ should inform Americans, not be controlled by corporate decisions on matters of national significance. He emphasized that networks are entitled to disagree with Trump’s remarks but should still broadcast what he says.

During the July 16 address, President Trump spoke from the East Room of the White House. Networks could critique or fact-check his statements, Carter argued, yet refusing coverage suggested an intent to keep Americans uninformed about potential foreign election interference. This decision, Carter noted, affects citizens’ ability to independently form opinions.

He pointed out that ABC and NBC chose not to air Trump’s speech on their primary channels, while CBS ended its coverage before the address concluded. Streaming the speech, he argued, was not a sufficient alternative for those lacking reliable broadband access.

Following Trump’s address, where he accused networks of being involved in a ‘plot’ to protect the ‘radical left’, he called for a revocation of ABC and NBC’s licenses. He asserted that critical intelligence documents, allegedly disclosing election vulnerabilities, were declassified and released.

The White House claimed the documents addressed issues such as voting system weaknesses, China’s supposed access to U.S. voter data, a Michigan voter registration probe, and noncitizens on voter rolls. The contents of these documents or Trump’s claims could not be independently verified by Fox News Digital.

Trump stated, ‘This vital information has been covered up and hidden from you, the American people.’ He promised transparency going forward. ABC News and NBC News streamed Trump’s speech digitally, later providing special report summaries. CBS News initially provided analysis, joined the speech coverage late, and cut away when Trump criticized ABC and NBC.

Carter contended that the allegations of election integrity and national security raised by Trump merited live coverage. Fox News Digital has reached out to the FCC, ABC News, NBC News, and CBS News for comments.

Kiera McDonald contributed to this report for Fox News Digital.