New Actor: Brendan Carr defends ABC license review

Brendan Carr defended the FCC’s scrutiny of eight ABC station licenses, framing it as a return to the duty to operate in the public interest. He said broadcasters get free access to public airwaves “worth billions of dollars” and must meet those obligations.

The defense came a day after ABC filed a new opposition to the review, arguing it is retaliation for ABC’s editorial content. The filing ties the move to public calls by the administration to revoke ABC’s licenses and warns it would chill coverage across the industry.

ABC’s filing says more than 140,000 public comments have been submitted in the docket, with more than 95% backing the network’s position, and calls the early-renewal demand unprecedented in over 50 years. Carr, describing what public-interest obligations entail, cited avoiding news distortions, hoaxes, and what he called “invidious” DEI discrimination.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources