FCC Commissioner Carr Attacks Free Press for Urging the Agency to Provide Guidance on the Broadcast of False Information

On April 2, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr responded to a right-wing blogger’s question about a recent Free Press petition urging the agency to help prevent the spread of false COVID-19 information via broadcast outlets. Commissioner Carr said: “This is a sweeping and dangerous attempt by the far left to weaponize the FCC against conservative media outlets and elected officials. They want to turn the FCC into a roving speech police empowered to go after the left’s political opponents."

Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González said: “We stand by our request that the FCC issue guidance on broadcast of disinformation about COVID-19. We think it's quite possible that certain broadcasts have amounted to ‘hoaxes’ as defined by the FCC’s own regulations. We join a growing chorus of journalists, medical professionals, activists and journalism professors who are concerned that the broadcast of disinformation about the virus has discouraged people from taking appropriate preventative measures, and that it is endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

“We will not stand down in the face of flip comments from a misguided FCC commissioner and his band of seven-cent trolls. We expect an official response from the agency mandated by Congress to protect the public interest on our nation’s airwaves, not a right-wing firing squad lobbing insults over Twitter. Be better than that, Commissioner Carr. We are simply asking you to do your job and provide clarity about one of the very few rules that you and the Trump FCC have left on the books."