by
Randy
Holmes/Disney
via
Getty
Images)
Brendan
Carr’s
FCC
claims
to
be
moving
forward
their
their
plan
to
“review
ABC’s
broadcast
licenses”
because
Jimmy
Kimmel made
a
joke
about
the
president’s
wife.
And
it’s
every
bit
as
dumb
and
legally
baseless
as
you
might
expect.
Carr
has
sent
a
letter
to
ABC/Disney
saying
he’s accelerating
the
review
of
their
existing
broadcast
licenses.
It’s
very
clearly
because
the
Trump
administration
wants
to
annoy,
harass,
and
pressure
ABC
into
firing
Kimmel.
But
since
that’s
a
direct
assault
on
the
First
Amendment,
they’re
trying
to
do
an
end
around
and
pretend
that
the
review
is
because
ABC
is
“violating
DEI
requirements.”
Carr’s
underlying
legal
argument
is
genuinely
and
profoundly
stupid.
He’s
claiming
that
ABC’s
ordinary,
modest,
and
inconsistent
corporate
diversity
practices
are racist
against
white
men,
and
therefore
violate
the
already
fairly
thin
anti-discrimination
components
of
the
Communications
Act.
It’s
absolute
fucking
gibberish.
But
you’ll
notice
that
most
outlets, including
this
piece
from
CNBC,
try
to
make
the
effort
sound
like
sensible
policy
being
conducted
by
reasonable
adults:
“The
letter
orders
the
company
to
file
for
early
renewal
for
ABC-owned
television
stations
and
notes
the
action
is
related
to
an
investigation
into
Disney’s
DEI
efforts,
which began
last
year.
Disney
confirmed
on
Tuesday
that
it
received
the
FCC’s
order
initiating
an
accelerated
review
of
its
licenses.
The
FCC
said
in
the
letter
that
Disney
now
has
30
days
—
or
until
May
28
—
to
file
for
the
renewals.”
As
we noted
previously,
ABC
only
actually
owns
about
eight
licenses
to
begin
with.
Most
ABC
broadcast
licenses
(230
or
so)
are
actually
owned
by
right-wing
friendly
local
broadcasters
already
loyal
to
the
president.
We’ve
noted
how
these
stations routinely
air
right
wing
agitprop,
and
have
been
rewarded
by
Trump
and
Carr
with
a
series
of
merger
approvals
that violate
existing
media
consolidation
limits.
The
actual
process
of
yanking
a
broadcast
license
is
also
a
complicated,
difficult,
and
extremely
time
consuming
affair.
Were
Carr
to
actually
do
this
(beyond
sending
Disney
a
stern
letter
to
put
on
a
show
for
the
press),
you’re
talking
about
potentially years of
legal
wrangling.
A
fight
Carr
would
very
likely
lose,
because,
again,
his
entire
underpinning
argument
is
baseless
and
stupid.
Carr
doesn’t
actually
want
a
legal
showdown
with
deep-pocketed
Disney
over
this
turd
of
a
case.
They’re
just
hoping
to
make
life
so
costly
and
annoying
for
ABC/Disney
that
the
company
not
only
fires
Kimmel,
but
thinks
twice
about
supporting
any
journalist,
satirist,
or
comedian
who
dares
challenge
the
administration.
It’s
also
a
message
to
other
networks
that
host
voices
critical
of
the
unpopular
president.
This
is,
if
the
pathetic
U.S.
press
coverage
of
this
FCC
inquiry
is
any
indication,
already
having
an
effect.
A
good
chunk
of
the
news
reports
on
this
inquiry
(see:
this Semafor
piece)
can’t
be
bothered
to
be
honest
about
the
pathetic,
baseless
nature
of
this
censorship
effort.
Many
outlets
seem
dedicated
to
helping
Trump
and
Carr
pretend
this
is
any
sort
of
above-board
review.
They’re
enablers.
Anna
Gomez,
the
FCC’s
lone
Democratic
official
(because
Republicans
refuse
to
fill
the
other
seat),
correctly
notes
that
this whole
dumb
First
Amendment
violating
gambit
will
fail:
“This
is
the
most
egregious
action
this
FCC
has
taken
in
violation
of
the
First
Amendment
to
date.
As
part
of
its
ongoing
campaign
of
censorship
and
control,
the
White
House
called
publicly
for
the
silencing
of
a
vocal
critic,
and
this
FCC
has
now
answered
that
call.
This
is
an
unprecedented
and
politically
motivated
attempt
to
interfere
with
how
broadcasters
operate,
and
this
unlawful
overreach
will
fail.”
You
know
it’s
bad
when even
Ted
Cruz
is
blasting
your
baseless
censorship
campaign
as
stupid:
“It
is
not
government’s
job
to
censor
speech,
and
I
do
not
believe
the
FCC
should
operate
as
the
speech
police.”
You
might
recall
that
the
last
time
Disney
capitulated
to
these
dim
fascists
(temporarily
suspending
Kimmel
because
he
made
some
jokes
about
the
deceased
right
wing
social
media
propagandist
Charlie
Kirk),
it
resulted
in
the
company losing
millions
of
streaming
video
customers
and
amusement
park
attendees.
Hopefully
Disney
execs
learned
their
lesson
from
that
experience.
The
problem
for
Trump
is
that
as
his
health,
influence,
popularity,
and
political
power
wane,
he
and
Carr’s
threats
will
carry
less
and
less
weight,
even
among
feckless
corporations.
They’re
just weak
men
afraid
of
words,
ideas,
and
comedy,
desperately
trying
to
pretend
that
they
have
power
to permanently
stifle
jokes.
It’s
foundationally
pathetic
and
embarrassing,
something
press
coverage
should
make
very
clear.
Brendan
Carr
‘Launches’
His
Bogus
FCC
‘Review’
Of
ABC
Broadcast
Licenses
And
It’s
Just
Pathetic
And
Stupid
More
Law-Related
Stories
From
Techdirt:
The
GUARD
Act
Isn’t
Targeting
Dangerous
AI—It’s
Blocking
Everyday
Internet
Use
Palantir
Workers
Are
Finally
Noticing
The
Skulls
On
Their
Caps
ICE
Is
Or
Isn’t
Cutting
Back
On
Courthouse
Arrests,
Depending
On
Who
You
Ask