Trump Orders FCC Review of Foreign Ownership

President Donald Trump has ordered the review and possible revocation of the applications for, or sales of, FCC licenses, but it has nothing to do with the President's view of media outlets or his legal team's threats against TV station owners.

Broadcasting&Cable reports Trump issued an executive order Saturday (April 4) establishing the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector.

The committee's aim is to help keep the telecommunications sector secure from foreign threats to national security, including by revoking existing licenses if necessary. The new committee will be chaired by Attorney General William Barr and funded by the Department of Justice.

The committee will make recommendations to the FCC on whether it should "dismiss an application, deny an application, condition the grant of an application upon compliance with mitigation measures, modify a license with a condition of compliance with mitigation measures, or revoke a license."

The committee will comprise Barr, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and any other head of an agency or an assistant to the President and Trump's discretion. It will be authorized to collect info from applicants to help with that review. That info can't be disclosed outside the committee and committee advisers.