{"id":1460854,"date":"2022-05-02T18:59:36","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T22:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1460854"},"modified":"2022-05-02T18:59:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T22:59:39","slug":"plainly-un-american-fcc-commissioner-shoots-down-leftist-calls-to-stop-elon-musk-buying-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/plainly-un-american-fcc-commissioner-shoots-down-leftist-calls-to-stop-elon-musk-buying-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Plainly Un-American:\u2019 FCC Commissioner Shoots Down Leftist Calls To Stop Elon Musk Buying Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fplainly-un-american-fcc-commissioner-shoots-down-leftist-calls-to-stop-elon-musk-buying-twitter%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1460854&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2022\/05\/GettyImages-1393786627.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.3.0\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington dismissed calls for the FCC to stop Elon Musk\u2019s acquisition of Twitter, instead calling for regulators and the general public to welcome it as a win for freedom of speech online.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome have recently called on the FCC to stop Elon Musk from acquiring Twitter,\u201d Simington said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/document\/simington-comments-acquisition-twitter\">statement<\/a> Monday. \u201cBut nothing in the United States Code or our regulations gives us the right to interfere with this transaction. Our competition review authority does not and has never extended to internet platforms like Twitter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even if the deal was within the scope of the FCC\u2019s authority, Simington continued, it would be \u201cinappropriate and contrary to the\u00a0public interest\u201d to block it. Simington rejected concerns about potential concentration of the social media market, noting that Musk buying Twitter was not out of place in the ownership structures of the media industry, or even other social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed out several examples of this structure: The New York Times is operated by Chairman A.G. Sulzberger, who inherited the position from his father Arthur Sulzberger; The Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos\u2019 holding company Nash Holdings; Google and its parent company Alphabet are run by CEO Sundar Pichai; Facebook and its parent company Meta are operated by Mark Zuckerberg, who is the founder, chairman, CEO, and controlling shareholder of both.<\/p>\n<p>Simington also noted that vertical integration in online media companies is widespread, and there are multiple examples of individuals or companies owning or controlling both broadband internet providers as well as online services like search engines, streaming platforms, and news sites. Furthermore, Simington said that concerns about Elon Musk owning both Twitter and Starlink \u201ccould not be taken seriously,\u201d since Starlink currently provides broadband internet to less than 1% of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>Simington also rejected other calls for the federal government to stop Musk from \u201censhrining free expression on Twitter.\u201d Previously, several Democratic members of Congress and left-wing commentators lamented Musk\u2019s buyout of Twitter, and called for regulation to stop the flow of \u201cdisinformation\u201d and \u201chate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[I\u2019m] concerned his personal views will stop the fight against disinformation on social media,\u201d Democratic California Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepAdamSchiff\/status\/1519111586090082304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1519111586090082304%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fmollie-hemingway-drops-adam-schiff-after-elon-musks-twitter-deal-triggers-him\">Adam Schiff<\/a> tweeted last week.\u00a0 \u201cThe problem on Twitter hasn\u2019t been too much content moderation \u2013 it\u2019s too much hate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElon Musk and a handful of billionaires now have dangerous influence over the most powerful online platforms,\u201d Democratic Massachusetts Senator <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenMarkey\/status\/1518998477140856832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1518998477140856832%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fdemocrat-senator-demands-algorithmic-justice-in-the-wake-of-elon-musks-twitter-takeover\">Ed Markey<\/a> tweeted. \u201cThey can\u2019t be trusted, and self-regulation has failed. We must pass laws to protect privacy and promote algorithmic justice for internet users, especially for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CNN media analyst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/we-are-headed-to-hell-cnn-guest-blames-musk-and-trump-for-twitter-deal-in-unhinged-rant\">David Zurawik<\/a> issued similar calls in a rant on \u201cReliable Sources\u201d Sunday. \u201c[You] need controls on this,\u201d Zurawik said. \u201cYou need regulation. You cannot let these guys control discourse in this country, or we are headed to hell!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only merit in such proposals is their candor in proposing something so blatantly illegal,\u201d Simington said in response to those calls. \u201cThe law in this country does not recognize a government interest in restricting the open exchange of ideas. Labeling content as \u201cfake news\u201d or \u201cdisinformation\u201d does not change that. It would be not only unconstitutional, but plainly un-American, for any arm of the government to act against Twitter or Mr. Musk for such a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simington is the second FCC Commissioner to shoot down left-wing calls for the FCC to interfere in Musk\u2019s purchase of Twitter. Fellow Commissioner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/document\/carr-rejects-call-fcc-block-musks-purchase-twitter\">Brendan Carr<\/a> rejected the notion after left-wing advocacy group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.openmarketsinstitute.org\/publications\/open-markets-details-how-us-government-can-block-musk-takeover-of-twitter\">Open Markets Institute<\/a> published a statement calling on the FCC, FTC, and DOJ to block the purchase. \u201cThe FCC has no authority to block Elon Musk\u2019s purchase of Twitter, and to suggest otherwise is absurd,\u201d Carr said. \u201cI would welcome the full FCC making it clear that we will not entertain these types of frivolous arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest growing conservative media companies for breaking news, investigative reporting, sports, podcasts, in-depth analysis, books, and entertainment for a reason: because we believe in what we do. We believe in our country, in the value of truth and the freedom to speak it, and in the right to challenge tyranny wherever we see it. Believe the same?\u00a0<u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\">Become a member now and join our mission.<\/a><\/u><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington dismissed calls for the FCC to stop Elon Musk\u2019s acquisition of Twitter, instead calling for regulators and the general public to welcome it as a win<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":1481295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1460854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1460854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1481295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1460854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1460854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1460854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}