Rep. Matsui, ACLU Protecting Broadcast Free Speech

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) has teamed with the American Civil Liberties Union to introduce the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation aimed at strengthening First Amendment protections for broadcasters.

At a press conference in Sacramento on Friday, KCRA reports that Matsui said the measure would ensure that the federal government cannot revoke licenses or penalize broadcasters over the viewpoints they air. She pointed to recent controversies, including the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel and efforts to cut public media funding, as examples of political pressure on broadcasters.

“The federal government, we want to make it clear, cannot revoke licenses or punish broadcasters simply because of the viewpoints that they air,” Matsui said. “This is not about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about if we as a nation still believe in the promise of the First Amendment.”

Jenna Levantoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, backed the legislation, warning that “the FCC and the Trump administration must step back from this dangerous cliff. And broadcasters must resist from bending to political pressure.”

Alongside the bill, Matsui is pressing for an oversight hearing to question FCC Chairman Brendan Carr about proposed media mergers and has requested an Inspector General investigation into the agency’s actions. The new effort builds on Matsui’s long alignment with the ACLU on civil liberties issues, from scrutinizing surveillance technology in 2015 to co-sponsoring a 2022 push to restore net neutrality.