Rick Scott calls for Senate hearings after DirecTV drops Newsmax

Rick Scott Fox News
'We need to get to the bottom of this.'

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is speaking out against “censorship” of conservative voices, urging the Senate to “get to the bottom of this” after DirecTV announced they would drop Newsmax.

During an interview on Newsmax, Scott was asked about DirecTV removing the channel from its lineup, and he said he wanted Senate “hearings” to explore how that happened.

“Absolutely. We’ve got to get to the bottom of this. This is censorship by companies like AT&T of conservative voices … this has got to stop,” Scott said. “So we need to hold hearings here. We need to get to the bottom of this. I’m going to do everything I can.”

DirecTV announced the decision to drop Newsmax after the conservative outlet demanded carriage fees, which other carriers like Verizon and Dish Network have agreed to.

Scott said “they already got rid of another conservative network sometime last year,” presumably referring to cable carriers dropping the hard-right One America News Network, which lost its cable outlets.

“That’s what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to shut down our voices. And we’ve got to fight for this. The American public has to show up.”

Scott urged viewers to “call AT&T” and say, “Don’t kick Newsmax off of Direct TV. It doesn’t make any sense.”

The Senator’s appeal to keep Newsmax on the air comes after 41 GOP members of the U.S. House called for hearings. Republicans hold a House majority, so those hearings may actually happen on the House side.

“We’ve discussed with Newsmax on several occasions that we’d like to offer their programming, however, the network is now seeking significant fees that we cannot pass on to our broad customer base,” a DirecTV representative claimed in a statement reported by Newsmax. For its part, Newsmax said their fee was a 75% discount to its “market value.”

Despite the alleged “deplatforming,” Newsmax continues to stream live, including on YouTube, so fans will not be deprived despite the lack of Direct TV carriage.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


12 comments

  • Chub Hunter

    January 25, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    Me and my fellow leftists here at my new posting home prefer our news with a leftist slant and our announcers to have a non USA accent. Europian, India, or from England. If they must be from the USA we prefer that man gay accent. We would not like NewsMax at all.

    • Billy

      January 26, 2023 at 5:55 pm

      Chubby. take your leftist gay attitude and ass and move to Europe with the other twinkle toes. You’ll fit more over there.

      • That’s right

        January 29, 2023 at 12:26 pm

        Yeah move to the place that made America before they realized they could do better lol

  • Ron DeSantis Sucks

    January 25, 2023 at 6:44 pm

    Pretty sure DirecTV can decide to host (or not host) whatever channels it desires. That’s part of the company’s free speech rights.

    • Chub Hunter

      January 25, 2023 at 7:18 pm

      Thanks fellow leftist Comrad do the DurectTV announcers have that man gay accent we both love?

      • Bill

        January 29, 2023 at 2:02 pm

        I think Tucker Carlson is on Fox but hey, it’s so close to Newsmax that nobody would notice.

  • Tjb

    January 26, 2023 at 10:04 am

    Rick what are you doing regarding inflation and immigration? Stop dictating what a business can do?

    • Josh Green

      January 26, 2023 at 3:01 pm

      Tackling real issues is hard, and Conservatives are just fundamentally dumb people.
      That’s why Republicans waste their time on culture war nonsense.

  • tom palmer

    January 26, 2023 at 10:36 am

    Another Moscow-style show trial attempting to overregulate free enterprise. Just what the country needs.

  • Tom

    January 26, 2023 at 1:59 pm

    So they have to keep a channel just so a few angry old white men can watch? Hardly the demographic audience that their advertisers are looking for I’d imagine.

  • Josh Green

    January 26, 2023 at 3:00 pm

    Forcing DirectTV to carry Newsmax would be coerced speech, and everybody but Rickhead Scott knows that’s unconstitutional.

  • Richard Ramirez

    January 30, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    All you right wing conservative fascists should all move to Russia. You’d be welcome there and fit right in.

Comments are closed.


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