FCC chair threatens to revoke broadcasters' licences over Iran coverage

The chair of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has threatened to revoke broadcasters' licences after Donald Trump criticised their coverage of the US-Israel war with Iran.

In an interview with the BBC's US partner CBS News, Brendan Carr said broadcasters' licences are not a "property right" and warned they can be revoked if stations do not serve the public interest.

Carr's threat came after he accused broadcasters of "running hoaxes and news distortions", saying they can still "correct course" before their licence renewals come up.

Democrats argue the government is trying to censor free speech and some lawmakers called the FCC chair's comments unconstitutional.

"People have gotten used to the idea that, you know, licences are some sort of property right, and there's nothing you can do that can result in losing their licence," Carr told CBS News.

"I try to sort of help reorient people that, no, there is a public interest, and broadcast is different."

The FCC - the country's broadcast media watchdog - regulates radio, TV and satellite airwaves, giving it power over a range of matters, including mergers and decency complaints.

On Saturday, Carr responded to a post from Trump in which the US president said "Lowlife 'Papers' and Media actually want us to lose the War".

In his response, Carr wrote on social media: "The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licences if they do not."

Democratic lawmakers criticised Carr's threats as unconstitutional.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote that its illegal "for the government to censor free speech it just doesn't like about Trump's Iran war".

California Governor Gavin Newsom called Carr's threat "flagrantly unconstitutional" , while Senator Mark Kelly wrote: "This is overreach by the FCC because this Administration doesn't like the microscope and doesn't want to be held accountable."

Carr has been at the centre of the Trump administration's fight against TV broadcasters that Trump has disagreed with.

The FCC chair called for TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel's suspension after the ABC late night host criticised President Donald Trump and Republicans for their reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel's show was taken off the air, but returned six days later.

Trump has also frequently targeted news outlets over treatment he believes is biased against him, including lawsuits against the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and others.

The FCC, an independent agency, issues eight-year licences to broadcast stations, many of which are owned and operated by television networks. It does not licence TV networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox.

On its website, the FCC says the "First Amendment and the Communications Act expressly prohibit the Commission from censoring broadcast matter".

It also states that the commission's role in overseeing content on the air waves "is very limited."

The FCC's authority over content standards is limited to broadcasts on television and radio, and does not include cable networks or streaming platforms.