FCC Chairman Sends Letter To Google CEO Over Network’s Complaint That YouTube TV “Discriminates” Against Faith-Based Programming

deadline.com:

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sent a letter to the CEOs of Alphabet and Google, calling out the refusal of YouTube TV to carry a network, Great American Family, as a potential case of discrimination against faith-based programming.

In his letter to Sundar Pichai and Neal Mohan, which he posted on X, Carr wrote that he has received a complaint from Great American Media in which they claim that YouTube TV “deliberately marginalizes faith-based and family-friendly content.” He noted that the network is carried on cable and streaming services including Comcast, Cox, Hulu, FuboTV and DirecTV stream. “YouTube TV refuses to carry them,” Carr wrote.

I have received complaints that Google’s @YouTubeTV is discriminating against faith-based programming.These concerning allegations come at a time when American public discourse has experienced an unprecedented—and unacceptable—surge in censorship.I’m asking Google for answers pic.twitter.com/jmFvMM3VS5 Carr acknowledged the limitations on the FCC’s authority over virtual MVPDs compared to cable distributors, as program carriage rules apply to traditional television.

The FCC has had multiple open proceedings to expend the regulatory framework to virtual MVPDs like YouTube TV, Carr noted. Carr is requesting that the company brief FCC staff. “Understanding the nature of carriage policies in the virtual MVPD sector can help inform the FCC’s approach to the broader set of regulatory issues thed FCC has been called upon to address,” he wrote.