Over 25,000 Individuals Demand FCC Hearing on FOX Broadcast License Renewal

The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), supported by 25,532 concerned individuals, has called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to hold a hearing to investigate whether FOX Corporation and its leadership have violated FCC rules on the character required for broadcast licensees. The 611-page filing includes signatories from all fifty states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and marks the one-year anniversary of MAD’s Petition to Deny the broadcast license renewal application for FOX 29 Philadelphia (WTXF).

“Rarely does an FCC proceeding generate such a groundswell of public engagement, and we’re thrilled to have so many supporters joining our effort,” said Milo Vassallo, the executive director of MAD. The filing accuses FOX of prioritizing corporate profits over journalistic integrity, alleging that FOX actively sought to undermine the 2020 presidential election.

This move is significant as it reflects a rare level of public engagement in an FCC proceeding, highlighting widespread concerns about media integrity and the responsibilities of broadcast licensees. The filing also aligns with a growing bipartisan chorus of former FCC officials, media veterans, and a noted First Amendment scholar supporting MAD’s petition.

The core of MAD’s Petition to Deny focuses on serious accusations against FOX Corporation, including spreading misinformation about the 2020 election. These actions, allegedly sanctioned at the highest corporate levels, represent a significant breach of FCC policy regarding licensee character qualifications. According to MAD, Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s actions, as outlined in the court decision in Dominion v. FOX, contributed to the erosion of trust in the electoral process and incited the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

On October 9, 2023, MAD filed a motion requesting the FCC to compel FOX to produce key nonpublic discovery from its various lawsuits to ensure full transparency and accountability. Despite the filing, the FCC has remained silent, aside from opening the petition for Public Comment.

Preston Padden, a former FOX Broadcasting executive, stated, “Never in the history of the Commission has the agency been confronted with a license renewal applicant whose parent company was found by a court of law to have repeatedly presented false news.”

The 25,532 individuals backing MAD’s filing believe that owning a broadcast station is a public trust, not merely a business. The urgency to investigate and designate this matter for a hearing is paramount to uphold the integrity of broadcast licensing in the U.S.