Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said the inquiry could help Congress decide whether to continue funding local stations.

Mr. Carr said that NPR and PBS stations operate as noncommercial broadcast organizations, but that they may be airing “announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”

“To the extent that these taxpayer dollars are being used to support a for-profit endeavor or an entity that is airing commercial advertisements,” Mr. Carr wrote, “then that would further undermine any case for continuing to fund NPR and PBS with taxpayer dollars.”

The letter is the latest action from President Trump’s allies to target NPR and PBS stations and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a taxpayer-funded organization that backs them. Executives at NPR and PBS stations have been bracing for a potential battle over government funding, gaming out financial worst-case scenarios.

  • sudo42@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    6 hours ago

    Republicans lowered funding to public broadcasting with the goal of forcing them to do commercial advertising for income. Now they’re accusing them of using commercial advertising for income.

    Republicans can never stop being dicks.

  • loon@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    13·
    11 hours ago

    God, this fucking title reads like a punchline. It sure sounds like anything that improves the intelligence and well-being of the population is a threat to fascists.