FCC chair asks if YouTube TV ‘discriminates against faith-based programming’

Mar 12, 2025 09:46 PM - 3 days ago 4819

Emma Roth

Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, user tech, crypto, societal media, and overmuch more. Previously, she was a writer and editor astatine MUO.

Federal Communications Chairman Brendan Carr wants to cognize whether YouTube TV has a argumentation that “discriminates” against faith-based channels. In a missive sent to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Carr cites a title raised by Great American Media, which claims the work “refuses” to transportation 1 of its networks.

Carr notes that while the FCC presently has constricted authority complete virtual multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) for illustration YouTube TV, the agency is considering whether to grow its rules to see them. He adds that Google has benefitted from Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from being held legally accountable for what their users post. Carr has said he wants to limit the protections for tech companies nether the law.

“Importantly, these allegations of faith-based favoritism travel astatine a clip erstwhile American nationalist sermon has knowledgeable an unprecedented surge successful censorship,” Carr wrote. “In excessively galore cases, tech companies silenced individuals for doing thing much than expressing themselves and successful the integer municipality square.”

Carr asks Pichai and Mohan to little the FCC connected YouTube TV’s carriage negotiations process, “including the imaginable domiciled of viewpoint-based discrimination.” The transmission mentioned by Carr, Great American Family, is distributed crossed cablegram providers and integer services for illustration Fubo, Sling, DirecTV Stream, and Hulu.

“We invited the opportunity to little the FCC connected YouTube TV’s subscription work and the strategical business decisions we make based connected factors for illustration personification demand, operational costs and financial terms, and to reiterate that we do not person immoderate policies that prohibit belief content,” YouTube spokesperson Audrey Lopez said successful a connection to The Verge. Great American Media still has a ample beingness crossed YouTube pinch its Pure Flix and Great American Family channels.

Along pinch this missive from Carr, Google is besides facing a lawsuit from Rep. Jim Jordan, who wants to cognize whether YouTube removed contented astatine the petition of the Biden administration.

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