There "absolutely" should be congressional hearings to examine AT&T DirecTV's deplatforming of Newsmax TV, Rep. Greg Murphy said Saturday.
Murphy also agreed with radio show Mark Levin's suggestion that the removal of the network was done in the name of government control of free speech.
"I agree with his sentiment and comments completely," the North Carolina Republican said on Newsmax's "Saturday Report."
Levin on Friday told Newsmax's Eric Bolling that while conservatives believe in the market system, they "don't believe it should be corrupt either, and we don't believe it should be a mouthpiece for government or a or a surrogate for the government. When you silence conservative voices, obviously, you silence critics of the government."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
Murphy said such control was on display this past week during President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech when he called for "more and more federal government rather than state government and local control."
"He's never seen a program that he didn't like," said Murphy. "I got asked in front of several news stations beforehand, 'What did you want to hear from the President?' I wanted to hear the truth."
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, but DirecTV said it dropped the popular network due to "cost-cutting" measures.
Still, AT&T DirecTV continues to carry 22 left-leaning news channels, many of which draw considerably lower ratings than Newsmax, and those channels get paid license fees.
This week, DirecTV claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would amount to "tens of millions" of dollars.
Newsmax denied this, saying it is seeking an approximate fee of $1 per cable subscriber per year, among the lowest requested fees in cable.
"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 it wants Newsmax back on its service, but on its terms.
Ruddy said there has been no real negotiation or 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.