Carr says subsidized airwaves carry duty to serve the public interest
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Friday defended the agency’s recent actions against ABC, saying broadcasters have a duty to operate in the public interest in exchange for free access to the airwaves.
Broadcasters like ABC, Carr said in an interview on Fox Business Network, “struck a deal with the American people. You broadcasters get subsidized access, free access to a valuable public resource, the airwaves, worth billions of dollars. In exchange, you have to operate in the public interest.”
“Look, as a country, we should have a trusted, respected news media, and we’re not there,” Carr told anchor Maria Bartiromo. “So I hope more broadcasters return to their public interest obligations.”
Carr did not specify which actions against ABC he was referring to, nor did he detail what changes he would like to see at the network. His comments focus entirely on the principle that broadcasters owe the public obligations in exchange for their licensed access to the spectrum.