FCC commissioner says Trump call to revoke ABC, NBC licenses is unconstitutional

[LilElf70]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/fcc-commissioner-says-trump-call-182755473.html

Awwwww. The cry baby lost again.

Isn't this such a shame

[Chasstev365]

1. It's so sad...

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[SheltieLover]

2. ...

[MikeyDi]

3. I doubt that Brendan Carr agrees

This commissioner has only slightly more power than I do in stopping Carr if he chooses to be Trump’s hatchet man…..again.

Ultimately, I don’t think this is a fight Trump can win. But it can be very chilling if Carr follows through.

[Boo1]

4. Pretty sure

That NBC doesn't have broadcast licenses. Their affiliates do. Going to pull hundreds of alleviate licenses? Get ready for the massive shitstorm lawsuit. Also understand that NBC would still be able to broadcast on all of their cable and streaming services.

[MikeyDi]

5. That's not accurate

NBC directly owns a handful of affiliates, and unfortunately for them - in this case - those affiliates tend to be in the largest cities. New York, Chicago, LA, Philly, Dallas, Miami, etc).

So, this could be used as a hammer against them in a way that hurts.

As I've said, I think they would win in the end. But Trump's entire approach to life is to win by making something painful for his opponents.

[newdeal2]

6. Who is getting their broadcast over the air?

I don’t claim to understand all the nuance here but the distribution matters: these networks will still be able to reach most of their customers if they get the channel through cable, satellite, or streaming.

[MikeyDi]

7. Me?

I get my local affiliates via an over the air digital antenna.

I'm not a communications attorney, but I believe the license is built around access to the band.

if all over the air channels were technically "cable" channels under your definition, then there is no longer a need for the FCC. And the stations would no longer have to follow any rules related to obscenity, equal time, etc.

[onenote]

8. I'm a communications attorney.

The fact that FCC-licensed over-the-air broadcast station is retransmitted to cable or satellite subscribers, or made available in streaming format, doesn't change anything. If it doesn't have a broadcast license, it can't use the airwaves. The network could, in theory, simply transmit its programming via satellite or via the Internet, but it probably would have to rework its licensing agreements with the creators of the content and with the cable, satellite and online distributors.