Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., in an interview with Newsmax, said members of the House Oversight Committee are "chomping at the bit" to begin hearings on the decision by AT&T DirecTV to drop Newsmax.
Comer who chairs the committee, made his remarks Friday on "John Bachman Now."
"I'm very concerned," he said. "I'm very upset that DirecTV does not have Newsmax. I've been in constant communication with the leadership of DirecTV and AT&T. I have strongly encouraged them to meet with your CEO Mr. [Christopher] Ruddy to get this worked out or else.
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship!
"So, I think if anyone has ever watched the House Oversight Committee — any of our first three hearings — they have to ask themselves: Do you really want to go in front of the House Oversight Committee? This is something the 26 Republicans on the committee are very passionate about.
"We're all huge fans of Newsmax. We don't like to see Newsmax not being offered on DirecTV — especially considering that Newsmax is the fourth highest rated news show on TV now. And they [DirecTV officials] have dozens of news shows that have much lower ratings than Newsmax. So, I'm doing everything in my ability to see that this gets worked out. If it doesn't then I would expect the Republican majority to begin to take steps to take action.
"I'm going to be meeting with some more leaders from DirecTV. They know that I want answers. Our committee is chomping at the bit to get them in front of the committee. We want this resolved and hopefully we'll see something in the next few days."
AT&T's DirecTV cut Newsmax's signal Jan. 24, blocking the network from more than 13 million subscribers of the satellite service, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse.
Newsmax is America's fourth highest-rated news network in the cable landscape and a top-20 overall channel that reaches 25 million Americans weekly, according to the Nielsen ratings.
DirecTV said it dropped the popular network due to "cost-cutting" measures, but it also carries 22 left-leaning news channels, many of which draw considerably lower ratings than Newsmax, and all of which get paid license fees.
DirecTV has claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would amount to "tens of millions" of dollars. Newsmax has denied that, saying it is seeking an approximate fee of $1 per cable subscriber per year, which is among the lowest requested fees in cable.
"This was never about the fees being excessive," Ruddy said. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax — of all cable news channels — should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny."
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is back on air!
2. Call your congressman or senator at 202-224-3121 and demand they stop AT&T/DirecTV's censorship of NEWSMAX — ask them to give you a date on the hearings!
3. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.