FCC Chair Clears Republican Senator’s ESPN Interview, Cites Legal Loopholes
FCC confirms no violation in senator's TV interview, but warns network over Democratic candidate's appearance.
POLICY WIRE — Los Angeles, United States — The Federal Communications Commission has confirmed that a recent television interview featuring a Republican U.S. senator did not breach equal-time regulations, according to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. This comes after the agency raised concerns about a separate network’s coverage of a Democratic political candidate.
Carr addressed a social media query from a group of college Democrats, clarifying that the equal-time rule, which mandates fair airtime for opposing candidates, does not apply to cable programs like ESPN’s College GameDay. He further stated that the law only covers legally qualified candidates, and Senator Ted Cruz, who is not running in this year’s midterm elections, falls outside its scope.
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The FCC had previously issued a warning to ABC, a sister network of ESPN, following a late-night interview with James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas. The interview was later moved to YouTube after the FCC’s intervention. Carr emphasized that the intent of the law is to prevent media outlets from influencing elections by favoring certain candidates over others.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
