- The incoming FCC head is demanding answers from Google about why a Christian broadcaster is not among its channel listings. Brandon Carr sent a letter to the streaming service, saying he wants to determine if it engages in a form of discrimination.
Brendan Carr, Donald Trump’s pick to head the Federal Communications Commission, is asking YouTube why it doesn’t have more Christian programming on its streaming television service.
In a letter dated March 7 that was sent to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Carr demanded answers about the channel lineup on YouTube TV. The inquiry was prompted following a complaint by Great American Media, which alleges the service refuses to carry its cable networks.
“While YouTube TV does not appear to have a public facing policy against [faith-based programming], I want to determine whether your company engages in this form of discrimination in practice,” Carr wrote. “These allegations of faith-based discrimination come at a time when American public discourse has experienced an unprecedented surge in censorship. In too many cases, tech companies silenced individuals for doing nothing more than expressing themselves online and in the digital town square.”
A YouTube spokesperson told Fortune, “We welcome the opportunity to brief the FCC on YouTube TV’s subscription service and the strategic business decisions we make based on factors like user demand, operational cost and financial terms, and to reiterate that we do not have any policies that prohibit religious content.”
While Great American Family is on several competing platforms, both traditional cable and streaming, networks and broadcasters regularly negotiate terms, sometimes resulting in channels being dropped or not carried. YouTube TV currently offers UP Faith & Family, a Christian network, on YouTube TV as an add-on network.
Both of Great American Media’s owners are avid supporters of Trump. Bill Abbot spoke at CPAC this year, while Tom Hicks’ son was the National Finance co-chairman for Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The note from Carr comes as the Justice Department has affirmed it’s still seeking to break up Google, a continuation of an antitrust case started under the Biden administration. Officials are attempting to force the company to sell its Chrome web browser, among other steps. Arguments for the penalty phase of that trial are scheduled for April.
