Rep. Glenn Grothman, one of 18 members of Congress who spoke out on the House floor on the behalf of Newsmax after AT&T DirecTV's deplatforming, said Friday the provider's censorship of conservative voices shows the "confidence" of the nation's corporations and billionaires in their ability to limit freedoms.
"They [are trying] to turn this country into an entirely different sort of government, and part of that is they want to suppress free speech," Grothman, a Wisconsin Republican, said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
Grothman added that in the case of Newsmax and DirecTV, "they went for Newsmax because they think they can get fewer people out there knowing the truth of what's really going on in America."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
During his comments to Congress on Jan. 31, about a week after DirecTV deplatformed Newsmax, Grothman called the move a "chilling message – reminiscent of the practice of communists in China or Russia or Cuba. It surprises me what open criticism of the government you can find in Russia," but "in China, the Communist Party, though, does exercise complete control of the Internet, restricting what its citizens can search for. It's hard to believe people in this country want this country to become more like China."
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 and claimed this week DirecTV claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would amount to "tens of millions" of dollars.
Newsmax denied that, saying it's seeking an approximate fee of $1 per cable subscriber per year, among the lowest requested fees in cable.
AT&T DirecTV also carries 22 left-leaning news channels, many of which draw considerably lower ratings than Newsmax, and those channels get paid license fees.
"This was never about the fees being excessive," said Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax of all cable news channels should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny."
DirecTV recently issued a statement that it wants Newsmax back on its service, but on its terms.
Ruddy said there has been no real negotiation or no flexibility provided by DirecTV in its refusal to pay carriage fees.
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.