Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has issued a public warning to U.S. broadcasters regarding their carriage of content from Iranian state-controlled media. In a statement, Carr cited the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and its affiliates, which are sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.
Carr stated that the FCC has a duty to ensure broadcast licenses are held by those who serve the public interest. He argued that airing content from a sanctioned entity like IRIB, which he described as a propaganda arm of the Iranian regime, raises serious questions about a licensee's character qualifications.
The FCC is an independent U.S. agency that grants eight-year licenses to individual broadcast stations, not to national networks. Carr's warning suggests the commission could consider such carriage a factor during license renewal proceedings, potentially putting station licenses at risk.
This move follows ongoing U.S. sanctions and policy aimed at countering Iranian influence. The warning applies to television and radio stations that may carry programming from Press TV or other IRIB-linked channels, often via third-party distributors.
