Tell Congress: Stop FCC Censorship of Political Interviews

Donald Trump’s FCC is making television networks afraid to air political interviews — and Jimmy Kimmel says it just happened to his show.

Kimmel planned to interview Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on ABC. Instead, he announced that the interview would appear only on YouTube, saying threats from the Federal Communications Commission created too much risk for ABC, its affiliates, and local stations.

This is how censorship works today. The government doesn’t have to officially ban an interview if regulators can make broadcasters afraid of investigations, penalties, or threats to their licenses.

Tell Congress: Investigate FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s attacks on political speech and take action to stop the FCC from intimidating broadcasters over legitimate interviews and speech.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has pushed an aggressive interpretation of rules governing political candidates’ appearances on television while repeatedly clashing with broadcasters over political speech.

And the consequences are no longer theoretical: Kimmel says FCC pressure directly changed where voters could see his interview with a candidate for the United States Senate.

As broadcasters start avoiding politicians, journalists, comedians, or viewpoints because they fear retaliation from Washington, the government is gaining enormous power over what Americans see and hear. Networks are beginning to censor themselves before regulators even have to act.

But Congress has oversight authority over the FCC. It's time for them to demand Carr testify and strengthen safeguards against political interference with broadcasters’ editorial decisions.

The FCC exists to serve the public — not to serve as Donald Trump’s weapon against speech he or his allies dislike. Congress cannot stand by while government pressure drives political interviews off television.

Add your name now and demand Congress investigate Brendan Carr’s FCC and protect broadcasters from government intimidation. Political interviews belong on the airwaves without fear of retaliation from Washington.

The petition to Congress reads:

“Investigate FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s efforts to pressure broadcasters over political interviews and editorial decisions, and take action to prevent the FCC from using its regulatory and licensing authority to intimidate or retaliate against protected political speech.”