FCC Chair Does Not Expect Commission to Be Involved in News Corp. Hacking Inquiry

Genachowski says it is a U.K. process in press conference following FCC's monthly meeting

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/12/2011 1:13:13 PM

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Tuesday that he was not going to answer hypotheticals about News Corp. TV station license renewals in the wake of the growing phone hacking scandal involving its British tabloid, but indicated he did not see the FCC becoming involved in that issue.

"Obviously there is a process going on in the U.K.," he said, "and that is a U.K. process and I don't expect we will be involved with that." That came in a press conference following the FCC's monthly meeting Tuesday (July 12).

Asked a second time about the impact of the News Corp. scandal and whether it could call News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch's fitness as a licensee into question, Genachowski said it was the same question. "There is a process going on in the U.K. that is not a process that we expect to get involved with or interfere with." But he did add that: "The Mass Media Bureau here will do its job if any issues arise."