Cruz Presses Carr, Simington for Full FCC Review of Soros-Affiliated Entities' Audacy Buy
Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is pressing Republican FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington to insist the full commission review requests from restructuring radio group Audacy for expedited foreign-ownership review as part of the purchase of…
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its stock by George Soros-affiliated entities (see 2404230054). In July, Cruz wrote Democratic Commissioners Anna Gomez and Geoffrey Starks, urging that they push for a full FCC vote. “Considering the large number of stations involved, the presence of foreign ownership interests in excess of limits specified in federal law, and the deal’s timing in the final run-up to the Presidential election, I argued that a thorough vetting by the full Commission was both an expected duty of the officeholder and necessary to protect the interests of the American public,” Cruz said Friday in a letter to Simington. Cruz's letter to Carr wasn't available. Gomez and Starks “indicated they were eager to avoid accountability by letting faceless, unelected bureaucrats who were not accountable to the public or the Senate rubber-stamp the deal under the guise of delegated authority.” The Democratic commissioners “appear willing to turn a blind eye to Chairwoman [Jessica] Rosenworcel’s pattern of abusing delegated authority,” Cruz said: “This was seen most starkly in the Commission’s mishandling of” the terminated Standard General/Tegna deal (see 2306010077), “where instead of holding an open and transparent Commission-level vote, [Rosenworcel] violated FCC precedent and quashed the deal through a bureau-level order.” He asked Carr and Simington to respond by Aug. 23 about whether they back a full FCC vote on Audacy.