The United States will resemble a "totalitarian country" soon unless something is done to deal with the issue of government-protected communications monopolies that censor entities, such as with AT&T DirecTV's deplatforming of Newsmax, Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., is warning.
"The issue of deplatforming Newsmax and removing other 'nonconforming' accounts by large communications oligopolies is not just an issue of censorship spreading like plague in our country, but also an issue of government-created, protected, and subsidized monopolies turning us into an oligarchy," Spartz, who is Ukrainian-born, said in a statement, which she shared on Twitter on Tuesday.
"If we continue on this path, we will start resembling a totalitarian country very soon," she further said. "The House Judiciary Committee, responsible for protecting our Constitutional rights, has a duty to start dealing with this issue urgently."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
DirecTV removed Newsmax from its channel lineup Jan. 24, citing "cost-cutting" measures while also reporting profits last year of $2.7 billion. The provider, which also deplatformed conservative network OAN last year, claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would cost in the "tens of millions" of dollars.
Newsmax has denied these claims, saying it was seeking a fee of about $1 per DirecTV subscriber per year, among the lowest fees asked for in cable, and said the total amount of the deal was a fraction of "tens of millions" the satellite provider claims.
"This was never about the fees being excessive," said Chris 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."
Meanwhile, DirecTV continues to carry 22 left-leaning news channels, many with much lower ratings than Newsmax, and those channels receive license fees.
Spartz's statement comes as the outcry continues against DirecTV's cancellation of Newsmax, including Sen. Red Cruz, R-Texas, saying Monday that, as the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, he has "opened an investigation into Big Tech's censorship."
"We are going to see accountability, transparency, and we're going to shine a light on Big Tech's efforts to silence conservatives."
Several other congressional Republicans in Congress are saying they want to probe DirecTV and its parent company AT&T for censorship.
Former President Donald Trump, who has spoken out several times after Newsmax was deplatformed, on Tuesday continued his call for a boycott of the satellite television provider, calling the cancellation a "disgrace."
"A lot of people are angry at AT&T, and they should be," Trump said during a phone-in appearance on "The Howie Carr Show," a syndicated daily radio show, part of which is simulcast on Newsmax.
"They know what do with their anger: You don't do business with them," Trump said. "They can make up their own minds, but I think it's a disgrace, and what they've done to Newsmax, and OAN, by the way, is the same thing."
"Chris Ruddy at Newsmax, he's done a fantastic job," Trump also said about the Newsmax CEO. "And then you have DirecTV which is essentially owned, I guess, or controlled, by AT&T. And, you know, they're trying to censor the conservative voices."
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.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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