Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., said DirecTV's move to censor Newsmax by dropping the network from its platform confirms "what we've known all along."
"A lot of the media in this country is controlled, and they're in the tank for the left," Moore said during an appearance Thursday on Newsmax's "National Report." "When Newsmax actually speaks out, shares the truth, tries to push it out to the American people, then its voice is quashed, much like many of the other conservatives in our country."
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.
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship!
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.
While DirecTV said it dropped the popular network due to "cost-cutting" measures, 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 that 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," Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax said. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax of all cable news channels should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny."
In 2021, House Democrats, under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wrote a letter to AT&T demanding that Newsmax, OAN, and Fox News be removed from its platform because they claimed the networks promoted misinformation.
OAN was removed from DirecTV in April 2022.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has told DirecTV to preserve any correspondence from Democrat lawmakers or the White House asking conservative networks be taken off the air, as congressional Republicans vow to investigate.
When asked about the lobbying effort by members of Congress to silence conservative voices, Moore said, "It's absolutely concerning."
"That's what dictators do — they quiet opposing viewpoints," he said. "That's what communist countries do. Anybody that's critical of leadership in those countries, they're snuffed out. That's exactly what Pelosi did when she wrote that letter."
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.