Carr: Audacy Opposition Doesn't Conflict With Free Speech Advocacy
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said Thursday that his objection to granting broadcaster Audacy a temporary exception to the FCC’s foreign-ownership requirements in connection with a bankruptcy restructuring involving a George Soros-affiliated fund (see 2409250051) doesn’t conflict with denunciations he's made…
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in the past against involving partisan politics in FCC decisions. “My position is straightforward in all of those cases, which is that we should apply the law in the books consistent with the First Amendment,” Carr told reporters following the commissioners' open meeting. The Media Bureau granted similar exceptions to Cumulus, iHeart, Alpha and other broadcasters under multiple administrations during Carr's tenure as a commissioner, though he did not raise objections. Carr said Thursday he was unaware of those grants at the time. “This is the first time that this issue has been raised to my attention,” he said, adding that bureau-level decisions aren’t precedent for the commission. “As a commissioner, for better or worse, there are a lot of things that the bureaus do that, as commissioner -- particularly a non-chair commissioner -- that you're not read in on.” Carr also defended his repeated statements that the Audacy matter is unprecedented, pointing out that this is the first time the full commission has voted on such a petition. Initially, the Audacy item was set as a bureau-level decision but was circulated to the full commission after pressure from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas (see 2408150047). Carr said that he doesn’t object to Cruz forcing the matter before the full FCC and that the senator's action reflects lawmakers' concerns about big decisions getting made at the bureau level, such as the designation of the Standard General/Tegna deal for hearing. “I think what Senator Cruz was saying, [is that] this is the type of decision that the people that sit on this dais, who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate should make,” Carr said. Audacy and Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s office didn’t comment on Carr’s remarks.