Florida state Rep. Carolina Amesty told Newsmax Monday that DirecTV’s censorship of Newsmax is “concerning,” especially given that the company receives financial support from the federal government.
“Political censorship is concerning to me and here in the state of Florida, we're not going to allow it,” Amesty said during an appearance on Newsmax’s “The Chris Salcedo Show.” “If they're using taxpayer dollars, they need to be equal to all sources, especially Newsmax. I know Newsmax is very important to us conservatives, so the fact that they're targeting Newsmax specifically is very alarming.”
“I mean, you can see that these institutions are taking these woke policies to a whole different level,” she continued. “In the state of Florida, if you're utilizing taxpayers’ dollars, we're going to ensure that you follow the law as you should.”
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain
Amesty did not go into detail about potential actions Florida may take to hold DirecTV’s parent company, AT&T, to account.
DirecTV deplatformed Newsmax on Jan. 24, blocking the network from 13 million subscriber homes. The move marked the second time AT&T removed a conservative channel from the service in the past year, with OAN being axed in April.
DirecTV cited "cost-cutting" for removing both networks, but continues to carry 22 lower-rated liberal news channels, which all receive license fees, but has denied Newsmax any ability to receive similar payments though it has higher ratings than most other news channels.
According to Nielsen, Newsmax is the fourth highest-rated cable news channel in the U.S., watched by 25 million Americans.
Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy maintains DirecTV's deplatforming was "a blatant act of censorship."
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers: Call them toll free at 877-763-9762 and demand they bring NEWSMAX back on air. President Donald Trump urges you CANCEL!
- Important: If DirecTV tells you we are still negotiating, that is a lie! They have told NEWSMAX we will never be on a regular cable channel. DirecTV also replaced NEWSMAX with a channel that has no news and no ratings. Also, NEWSMAX's livestream is ending soon on other platforms, so unless you get it on DirecTV you will have to cancel their service.
2. AT&T customers: Call toll free at 888-855-2338, for any of their cellphones, wireless products, or services, and demand they end their censorship of NEWSMAX. President Trump has urged you to cancel their services.
3. 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!
4. Go to our online petition and get more info at: iWantNewsmax.com.