Soto Wants FCC Investigation into Miami AM Station

Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla, pressed the FCC in a letter Friday to investigate irregularities in a dismissed, proposed transaction involving a Miami AM station he accused in 2021 of spreading Spanish-language disinformation. WSUA(AM) Miami withdrew its proposal to be sold to ATV Holdings in April amid allegations the station and ATV Holdings were both already controlled by a foreign company and misrepresented their ownership to the FCC. “Because of this dismissal, allegations of irregularities and possible violations with this application were not investigated by the Commission,” wrote Soto. “However, the answers to some of these inquiries are of public importance.” In an April 2021 letter, Soto and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote the FCC about the proposed sale over concerns about disinformation affecting the 2020 presidential election results in Florida. “We can no longer allow conservative media to lead Spanish-language misinformation campaigns on Florida's Latino communities,” he tweeted then. “It's time for the FCC to intervene.” In Friday’s letter, Soto asked the agency about “a series of irregularities regarding ownership” of WSUA and “possible ownership of a FCC license by a foreign national corporation without necessary exemption." In 2021, Commissioner Brendan Carr blasted the caucus over the letter for “treating the FCC as merely an arm” of the Democratic National Committee and seeking to censor political speech. He didn’t comment Friday.