Pai Repeats Broadcaster First Amendment Assurances to Pallone, Other House Democrats
Chairman Ajit Pai told nine House Democrats in letters released Wednesday that during his chairmanship, FCC “review of any broadcast license renewal or broadcast license transfer application will not be impacted by political pressure from the Executive Branch.” House Commerce…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and seven other Democrats wrote Pai in recent months about President Donald Trump's recent comments threatening to challenge NBC licenses. Trump's comments and its First Amendment implications were a dominant topic during a House Communications FCC oversight hearing last week (see 1710250050). Doyle, Pallone and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., also called on the FCC in September to investigate reports Russian government-owned radio network Sputnik broadcast propaganda over U.S. airwaves in a bid to influence elections, including the 2016 presidential contest (see 1709180054). Pai told Pallone and others he committed in March to Senate Commerce Committee Democrats “that I would inform them and the public if there were any attempt by the Executive Branch to influence my decision-making with respect to any media interests with the FCC's jurisdiction, a commitment that clearly includes broadcast license renewal and transfer applications. I am happy to expand that commitment to include informing you as well.” Pai separately told Eshoo that “the FCC under my leadership has protected and will continue to protect the First Amendment. Moreover, I have made clear that the FCC does not have the authority to revoke a license of a broadcast station based on the content of a particular newscast.”