(LifeSiteNews) – Internet and phone company Verizon has dropped conservative news channel One America News (OAN) following political pressure from left-wing groups and politicians.
The news channel is no longer available to Verizon customers. The company was the last major carrier of OAN, which means the financial stability of the company is in jeopardy. AT&T’s DirectTV dropped the company from its channels in April after significant pressure as well.
“Media Matters and other organizations have been asking OAN’s cable providers to drop the channel and prospective providers to decline from picking up the channel,” the activist group boasted on July 21.
Media Matters’ president, Angelo Carusone, thanked Verizon for the decision.
“Verizon was the last major cable provider still funding OAN. Earlier this year, DirecTV finally recognized that it was both irresponsible and bad for business to continue to subsidize OAN,” Angelo Carusone stated in a news release. “Almost immediately after DirecTV dropped the network, OAN began scaling back its programming. Losing Verizon is like the final nail in the coffin for OAN.”
The pressure from Media Matters was complemented with scrutiny from powerful legislators who oversee cable companies.
California Representatives Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney sent a letter to cable companies in February 2021, asking them to “combat the spread of misinformation and requesting more information about their actions to address misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and lies spread through channels they host,” specifically including OAN, Newsmax, and Fox News on the list.
The two legislators sat on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology which has the power to pass legislation regulating cable companies. “Companies receiving letters include AT&T, Verizon, Roku, Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Charter, Dish, Cox, Altice, Alphabet, and Hulu,” the accompanying news release stated. The letter tried to pin “misinformation” about COVID as well as responsibility for the violence at the nation’s capital on January 6 on the cable companies and news channels.
“Have you taken any adverse actions against a channel, including Fox News, Newsmax, and OANN, for using your platform to disseminate disinformation related directly or indirectly to the November 3, 2020 elections, the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, or COVID-19 misinformation? If yes, please describe each action, when it was taken, and the parties involved,” one question stated.
“What steps did you take prior to, on, and following the November 3, 2020 elections and the January 6, 2021 attacks to monitor, respond to, and reduce the spread of disinformation, including encouragement or incitement of violence by channels your company disseminates to millions of Americans? Please describe each step that you took and when it was taken,” another stated.
OAN host Dan Ball told viewers on July 25 that the decision from Verizon management came down to politics.
“We offered a massive discount for our service, to give them our product, One America News. … They wouldn’t take it. They didn’t want us to return for another year. Why? Politics,” he stated.
“You know the excuse they told my bosses? ‘We don’t think you’re a credible news organization so we’re dropping you.’ But in the same breath, they don’t say that to you. To the public, they put out the email or tell their phone jockeys to tell you it’s our fault. … Lies, lies, lies,” he claimed.