Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, spoke out about the decision from Cincinnati Bell, now called Altafiber, to drop Newsmax from its cable packages earlier this year, telling the network Sunday his constituents remain very concerned about missing the channel.
"Yes, a lot of my constituents reach out to me and say, 'Hey, what can you do about this?'" Davidson, who represents suburban Cincinnati, told "Wake Up America."
Davidson said he spoke with Altafiber CEO Leigh Fox, who told him that when deals were negotiated for programming, "they come in big bundles and nobody bundled Newsmax" and it would not have been feasible to offer the channel as a separate entity.
But the claim made by Fox to Davidson is false.
"Newsmax has always been carried in Cincinnati Bell's expanded package with no issue for years, and we're carried on almost every expanded basic cable system in the U.S. without a problem," Anthony Rizzo, a spokesman for Newsmax, said.
Rizzo noted that, typically, cable operators make room for highly rated news channels, and Newsmax is now the 4th highest-rated cable news channel in the U.S. and a top 15 cable channel overall.
Davidson also claimed Altafiber's Leigh told him that negotiations "did not go well."
That claim also is false.
Newsmax never negotiated directly with Altafiber, but worked through their agent, the NCTC, a national cooperative of cable companies.
Altafiber canceled Newsmax in the middle of those negotiations. In fact, Newsmax did complete an agreement with the NCTC, and almost all previous cable systems renewed with very few exceptions, including Altafiber.
Altafiber carries about 100 channels in its basic package that have lower ratings than Newsmax and costs them more than Newsmax.
At the same time, Altafiber continues to carry 11 liberal news and information channels, most of which have lower ratings than Newsmax and cost more.
Asked about Sen. Rand Paul's call for Altafiber customers to cancel their service in protest, Davidson said, "By all means, if you don't value the [Altafiber] service, drop it."
But Davidson added that he advises constituents to stream the channel for free on the internet or another service.
Newsmax, however, noted that free streaming service will end in a few months and will no longer be an option for Altafiber customers.
Important: Newsmax and Sen. Rand Paul have encouraged Altafiber (Cincinnati Bell) customers to cancel their service and reject their marketing offers. To do so, please call them toll free 1-877-649-6332 or go to www.DropAltafiber.com for more information.
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.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.