Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has threatened to revoke broadcast licenses from television stations that air news coverage he deems unacceptable. Carr posted on social media that broadcasters running what he called "hoaxes and news distortions" have a chance to "correct course" before their license renewals come up. He warned that broadcasters must operate in the public interest or risk losing their licenses.

Carr's warning follows similar complaints from President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about news coverage of military operations and other topics. The FCC chairman has previously targeted specific programs, suggesting local stations could lose licenses for airing ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the host criticized Trump supporters. Carr also launched an equal-time investigation into ABC's The View after a Democratic candidate appeared as a guest.

These threats represent an unprecedented expansion of FCC powers over broadcast content. The agency cannot directly license national networks, but individual local stations owned by networks or affiliates do hold FCC licenses. Previous attempts to punish stations for content have been successfully challenged in court. Carr's actions have already prompted some station owners to pull controversial programming, though shows like Kimmel's were later restored.