MAD Pushes for 'Not Controversial' WTXF FCC Hearing

The FCC should hold a hearing on Fox WTXF Philadelphia’s license to distinguish it from President-elect Donald Trump's recent attacks on broadcast licenses and establish a “bright-line test” on when such sessions are required, said the Media and Democracy Project in informal comments posted Tuesday in docket 23-293. The WTXF case, which stems from a court finding against Fox, is “easily distinguishable from routine complaints by politicians about the political slant of a particular channel or network's political slant or classic journalistic prerogatives,” said the MAD filing. Commissioner Brendan Carr's recent comments suggesting that as chair he will take up complaints against ABC and CBS over their content “illustrate the importance of this commission adopting a more clear bright line test that invokes the character provision of the Communications Act only after there has been a judicial finding,” MAD said. Although MAD acknowledged that lawmakers have asked Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to refrain from addressing controversial matters until the new administration is in office (see 2411080048), the group argued that holding a hearing wouldn’t violate that request. “For the FCC to hold a hearing regarding a broadcast license applicant recently found by a court of law to have knowingly and repeatedly presented false news is certainly not controversial,” MAD said. However, multiple lawmakers have asked that the FCC deny MAD’s petition (see 2402260064) and Commissioner Nathan Simington has characterized the hold on WTXF’s license as an “intentional and unwarranted political delay," MAD said (see 2409130062). “Failing to hold a hearing under these circumstances would be tantamount to declaring the character requirement of the Act no longer applicable.” Carr and Fox didn’t comment.