FCC Chair Backs Potential TikTok Ban: ‘Be Thoughtful of Who Invests in [Media]’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is sharing her support of the proposed TikTok ban.
“We don’t have authority over apps like TikTok,” she said while speaking at a gathering at the Paley Center. “That being said, what strikes me most is that for decades we’ve had policies in the Communications Act that would prevent, for instance, a Chinese national or a Chinese company from owning our nation’s broadcast television stations. We would say that’s unacceptable, right? I’d be kicked out of my job if I decided otherwise. And yet here we have something that’s arguably one the newer forms of media and there is zero oversight. I think that is stunning.”
The proposed ban would go into place if TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t sell the app.
“Media is powerful and we want to be thoughtful of who invests in it in our country,” Rosenworcel explained.
Movieguide® previously reported on the potential ban:
The House passed a bill Wednesday morning that could effectively ban TikTok in the United States.
The legislation, called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, demands that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, divest the platform. If it doesn’t within 180 days, the app would be banned in American app stores.
CNBC reports that it received bipartisan support, passing with a 352-65 vote.
If the proposed ban goes into effect, ByteDance will have six months to divest itself of TikTok. However, Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell recently shared that the deadline could be extended to a year.
“My guess is that would be a good component to guarantee success,” she explained, per Reuters.”We’re talking to our colleagues, people have questions.”
Cantwell explained that she will meet with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner to come up with “a game plan on how to proceed.”
TikTok has been fighting back against the potential ban, with a spokesperson saying, “We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”
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