Rosenworcel Restates Opposition to Fairness Doctrine Return

and other Republicans wrote Rosenworcel in February asking her to commit to not bringing back the doctrine and to denounce letters Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, both D-Calif., sent providers asking them to justify carrying Fox News, Newsmax and One America News Network (see 2102240064). This doctrine “only applied to radio and television broadcasters that relied on scarce public spectrum,” which means it “legally applied only to a small subset of what we consider news and content today,” Rosenworcel said. “In recent times we have seen the effects of division in this country in ways that I never imagined that I would see in my lifetime,” including “the harms of misinformation and disinformation. Others have expressed concern that their viewpoint may be absent from media outlets and that some sources may amplify falsehoods and do genuine harm to individuals and communities.” Those are “issues that need thoughtful discussion in a modern way,” she said. “I welcome efforts to have this dialogue. I also remain mindful of the limitations of a doctrine from the 1940s and recognize any effort to update it will require action from Congress. Furthermore, any work to do so would be constrained by the First Amendment.”