Conservatives Lobby FCC To Consider Revoking NPR Licenses

A conservative advocacy organization has called on the Federal Communications Commission to open a formal inquiry into whether NPR and PBS affiliates should lose their broadcast licenses, arguing that the networks no longer serve the "public interest, convenience, and necessity" after Congress eliminated all federal funding for public broadcasting earlier in 2025.

In comments filed December 10 in the FCC's "Empowering Local Broadcast TV Stations to Meet Their Public Interest Obligations" proceeding—a rulemaking originally aimed at addressing power imbalances between national networks and local affiliates—the Center for American Rights (CAR), led by President Daniel Suhr, contended that the defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) signals Congress's view that NPR and PBS "failed to serve the public well."

The group urged the FCC to require NPR, PBS, and their member stations to submit detailed financial disclosures, donor information, long-term business models, and potential "wind-down or transition plans" for markets where stations might close. CAR further suggested reallocating spectrum if the networks cannot demonstrate viability without taxpayer support, citing warnings that defunding could force some affiliates "to go dark."

CAR also raised ideological concerns, claiming NPR and PBS programming has "alienated much of the US population" by failing to represent diverse political and cultural perspectives.

The filing aligns with broader actions by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has revived complaints against major networks for alleged bias and previously investigated public broadcasters. Public media lost approximately $1.1 billion in previously allocated CPB funds through fiscal 2027, prompting station closures, budget cuts, and operational wind-downs—including the CPB itself shutting down by late 2025.