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The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission warned Saturday that broadcasters could lose their licenses if they air what he called inaccurate reporting about the war between Israel and Iran, echoing criticism from Donald Trump about media coverage of the conflict.
Brendan Carr, the FCC chair appointed by Trump, said in a social media post that broadcasters running “hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news” should correct their reporting before their broadcast licenses come up for renewal.
“The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not,” Carr wrote.
Carr did not identify specific networks or reports he believed were inaccurate. His post referenced a Truth Social message earlier Saturday from Trump disputing reports that several U.S. military aircraft had been destroyed during the conflict.
Trump said five U.S. tanker aircraft stationed in Saudi Arabia had been reported damaged or destroyed by some media outlets, a claim he rejected.
“Four of the five had virtually no damage, and are already back in service,” Trump wrote. “None were destroyed, or close to that, as the Fake News said in headlines.”
FCC authority over broadcast content is limited
The FCC issues licenses to individual broadcast television and radio stations that use the public airwaves, typically for eight-year periods. However, the commission does not license national television networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox.
Under federal law and the Communications Act of 1934, the agency must determine whether stations operate in the “public interest, convenience and necessity” when deciding whether to renew licenses.
But the FCC also says the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and federal law prohibit the commission from censoring broadcast content.
On its website, the agency states that its role overseeing broadcast programming “is very limited” because of constitutional free speech protections.
Trump has previously raised license threats
Trump has repeatedly accused major media outlets of inaccurate or unfair reporting.
In September 2025, the president said television networks that cover him negatively should “maybe” have their broadcast licenses revoked, adding that such decisions would ultimately fall to Carr.
Earlier in August, Trump also complained that NBC and ABC aired overwhelmingly negative coverage of his administration.
“They give me 97% bad stories,” Trump said at the time, adding that he would be “totally in favor” of revoking their FCC licenses.
Previous controversy over late-night show
Carr also drew attention earlier in the fall when he criticized comments made by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which airs on Disney-owned ABC.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by Benny Johnson, Carr described Kimmel’s remarks about a suspect in the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk as “a very, very serious issue right now for Disney.”
Hours after Carr’s comments, the program was temporarily pulled from the air in mid-September. Trump later praised ABC for the decision. The show returned nearly a week later.
