Rep. Russell Fry to Newsmax: DirecTV Committed 'Incredible Disservice'

Rep. Russell Fry

It is an "incredible disservice" to the American people that AT&T's DirecTV has removed Newsmax from its lineup, and people are frustrated by what happened, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., told Newsmax on Saturday.

"I'm hearing the same thing that I'm sure that you are, which is that it's incredibly frustrating," Fry told "The Count." "Newsmax delivers a good product. It's a good mechanism to get the good news out to the American people."

DirecTV, on Jan. 24, deplatformed Newsmax, denying it from being available to 13 million subscriber homes last week. This was the second time the service removed a conservative channel in the past year, and the move has drawn outcry from conservatives, including former President Donald Trump, who has called for a boycott from the provider.

The company continues to carry 22 liberal news channels and all receive license fees but has denied Newsmax any ability to receive similar payments, despite Nielsen ratings that show Newsmax is the fourth highest-rated news channel in the U.S., a top 20 news channel overall, and watched by 25 million Americans on cable.

"This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax," Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said. "The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T's DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed."

Fry noted Saturday he is not only hearing from his colleagues on the hill but people back in his district that "other stations or other groups that pretended to deliver news are left on the air, but Newsmax has been put on the shelf and shuttered away."

Actions to Take Now

1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain.

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2. AT&T customers call toll free at 888-855-2338 to cancel/complain for U-verse, cellular and wireless services.

3. 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!

4. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.

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