House Democrats Press Cable Providers To Essentially Censor What People Can View

Before a hearing set for Wednesday, Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee asked cable companies what they did to combat “the spread of misinformation.”

Three months ago, federal lawmakers grilled Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, and Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief, about the alleged misinformation that had appeared on their platforms. Now, a congressional committee has scheduled a hearing to focus on the role of companies that provide cable television service in the spread of news and claims concerning the 2020 election.

In advance of the Wednesday hearing, called “Fanning the Flames: Disinformation and Extremism in the Media,” members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter on Monday to Comcast, AT&T, Spectrum, Dish, Verizon, Cox and Altice, asking about their role in “the spread of dangerous misinformation.”

The committee members also sent the letter to Roku, Amazon, Apple, Google and Hulu, digital companies that distribute cable programming.

The scrutiny of cable providers took on new urgency after supporters of former President Donald J. Trump, stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“To our knowledge, the cable, satellite and over-the-top companies that disseminate these media outlets to American viewers have done nothing in response to the misinformation aired by these outlets,” two Democratic representatives from California, Anna G. Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, wrote in the letter.

Newsmax, a cable channel carried by AT&T, CenturyLink, Charter, Comcast, Dish and Verizon, had a surge in ratings in November because of programs that embraced Mr. Trump’s claims of voter fraud. One America News Network, a right-wing outlet carried by AT&T, CenturyLink and Verizon, also aired the stories and theory.

Fox News, the most-watched cable news network, which is available from all major carriers, was one of five defendants in a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit filed this month by the election technology company Smartmatic. In the suit, the company accused Fox News; its parent company, Fox Corporation; three Fox anchors; and two frequent Fox guests of promoting false claims about the election and Smartmatic’s role in it. (Fox has denied the claims and filed a motion to dismiss the suit.)

Congress can raise the issue of whether cable providers bear responsibility for the programs they deliver to millions of Americans, but it may have no way to force them to drop networks that have spread misinformation. And unlike broadcast stations, cable channels do not have licenses that are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.

However, a clear pressure move from the United States Government can be a kind of “arm twisting” and is, in any event, troubling. This is was their clear intent as anyone reviewing the letter can clearly see:

The lawmakers’ letter asks the companies, “What steps did you take prior to, on and following the Nov. 3, 2020, elections and the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks to monitor, respond to and reduce the spread of disinformation, including encouragement or incitement of violence by channels your company disseminates to millions of Americans?”

“Are you planning to continue carrying Fox News, OANN and Newsmax on your platform both now and beyond the renewal date?” the letter continues. “If so, why?”

Fox News denounced the congressional effort. “For individual members of Congress to highlight political speech they do not like and demand cable distributors engage in viewpoint discrimination sets a terrible precedent,” the network said in a statement.Newsmax defended its election coverage as accurate and called the letter an “attack on free speech.” A spokeswoman for Comcast declined to comment. None of the other companies to which the letter was sent replied to inquiries from The Times.

Blair Levin, who served as the F.C.C.’s chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, said a hearing could be a first step toward meaningful action.

Brendan Carr, a Republican F.C.C. commissioner, blasted the letter from the House Democrats in a statement on Monday, calling it “a chilling transgression of the free speech rights that every media outlet in this country enjoys.”

Additional Source: The New York Times.