The House Freedom Caucus sent a letter Friday to DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow calling for him to reconsider the company’s decision not to renew its contract with One America News (OAN) Network.
In the letter, first obtained by the Daily Caller, the House Republicans say the move to pull the network off-air is an attack on the First Amendment, saying they are trying to silence conservatives’ speech. They stipulated three requests of Morrow and DirecTV:
- Reconsider the contract renewal decision
- Provide a detailed explanation of why DirecTV didn’t renew the contract
- Answer whether anyone affiliated with AT&T had anything to do with the decision.
A DirecTV spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg that following a review the company decided not to renew their contract with Herring Networks Inc., which is the owner of OAN. Reuters reported that DirecTV made up 90% of the network’s revenue. (RELATED: AT&T To Remove One America News Network From Lineup)
“As you surely agree, the First Amendment right to free speech is a cornerstone of America’s Republic. Yet, in recent years, we have witnessed a broad and concerted effort by large corporations to silence the speech of conservatives and marginalize opinions that do not fall within the political Left’s radical ‘woke’ worldview,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
“To date, no meaningful explanation of this decision has been provided to DirecTV customers by the company. DirecTV is both the largest distributor of OANN and it is one of the only options for live television for many of our constituents. Not only is this a massive blow to the popular news network, but it is a massive blow to our constituents who have come to rely on it as an important source for news and opinions,” the lawmakers continued.
In January, Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines sent a letter to Morrow calling for him to reconsider the decision and said in many parts of Montana satellite television and DirecTV is the only option for live television. He argued the importance of having a range of media outlets in today’s political climate, saying Americans would be affected by removing conservative content such as OAN.
The House Freedom Caucus called for a response to their letter within 10 business days.