1 of 3 | The FCC is prohibited from influencing network content but Chairman Brendan Carr and President Donald Trump have used pressure campaigns on ABC and others to test those limits. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo
Sept. 24 (UPI) -- The FCC is prohibited from influencing network content but Chairman Brendan Carr and President Donald Trump have used pressure campaigns on ABC and others to test those limits.
The Trump administration's attempt to push Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air worked, briefly. While consumer backlash convinced Disney and ABC to reverse course, the alarm has been sounded over the weaponization of federal authority to suppress free speech.
Kimmel returned to ABC on Tuesday, lamenting the importance of standing up for free speech in his opening monologue, calling attempts to take shows like his off the air for sharing dissenting opinions "un-American."
"Ten years ago this sounded crazy: Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC, telling an American company 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way,' and 'These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action on Kimmel or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,'" Kimmel said. "In addition to being a direct violation of the First Amendment, it is not a particularly intelligent threat to be made in public."
