FCC Commissioner Condemns ABC‘s Kimmel suspension as “Most Alarming Attack” on First Amendment
WASHINGTON – Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the FCC, has sharply criticized the suspension of Jimmy kimmel’s show by ABC following critical remarks made about charlie Kirk, calling it “the most alarming attack on the First Amendment and free expression by our government in recent memory.” the controversy has ignited concerns about potential government censorship and control over broadcast media.
Gomez voiced her alarm amidst threats from former President Trump and his allies to perhaps revoke the broadcast licenses of networks critical of him. she cautioned against using the incident involving Kirk as justification for government intervention in free speech. “While what happened to Charlie Kirk is inexcusable, I’m concerned that we not allow this act of political violence to be used as justification for government censorship and control,” Gomez stated in an interview with Vanity Fair while traveling by Amtrak to New York City.
The FCC, Gomez asserted, ”doesn’t have the authority, the ability, nor the constitutional right to censor disfavored speech.” She emphasized the agency would be unable to revoke a broadcast license based on content like a comedian’s joke.
The situation is further complex by Nexstar, the largest owner of TV stations in the U.S., which is currently seeking FCC approval for a $6 billion merger with Tegna. Nexstar has chosen not to air Kimmel’s show, a move widely seen as an attempt to curry favor with the agency. The merger would likely require the FCC to raise the nationwide cap on the percentage of households a single corporation’s TV stations can reach, currently set at 39%. Nexstar has denied its decision was in response to FCC pressure.
Gomez has been a vocal critic of potential threats to free press and expression from within the FCC since the beginning of the current administration, and continues to advocate for the importance of broadband access.
