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Reviving debate about public funding
Carr noted in his letter that he was sharing it with lawmakers on Capitol Hill because he thought it could inform their debate over whether to cut off all taxpayer subsidies of NPR and PBS programming.
“For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace,” Carr wrote. He argued that any sign that taxpayer dollars are supporting a broadcaster running what are effectively commercials further undermines the case to send federal dollars to public broadcasters.
In a statement, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, a Democratic appointee, said Carr’s announcement was a source of “serious concern.”
“Public television and radio stations play a significant role in our media ecosystem,” Starks said. “Any attempt to intimidate these local media outlets is a threat to the free flow of information and the marketplace of ideas.”
Carr’s letter fits into Trump’s calls for the end of public funding for NPR and for PBS and into the president’s broader rhetorical onslaught against media outlets.
“There’s no reason to believe there are significant or widespread violations of Section 399b of the Communications Act, as referred to in the letter, or of FCC guidelines adopted under that law,” says Andrew Jay Schwartzman, a public interest media lawyer who has represented consumer groups before the agency. “It leads me to conclude it’s much more of a scare tactic than the identification of a genuine problem.”
Reinstating inquiries of other major networks
The FCC chair under former President Joe Biden, Jessica Rosenworcel, cited free speech principles in dismissing complaints earlier this month against local stations owned by three TV networks: CBS, NBC and Fox. Last week, Carr reinstated the complaints filed by a Trump-affiliated group against CBS and NBC for their treatment of the presidential campaign. He left untouched the dismissal of the one focusing on a Fox station owned by conservative media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
Underwriting has been an increasingly important part of public broadcasting finances in recent decades as federal and state governments have pulled back from such funding. On average, NPR receives about 1 percent of its funding directly from the federal government each year, according to publicly available materials. PBS receives 16 percent, according to a network spokesperson.