NBC gives Trump equal air time after complaint over Harris SNL appearance

<p>Broadcaster says ex-president’s<strong> </strong>address to voters after Nascar race on Sunday complied with federal fairness rules</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/nov/04/donald-trump-kamala-harris-us-election-polls-latest-live-news">US election live – follow updates</a></li></ul><p>NBC on Sunday filed notice that the broadcast network had provided <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump">Donald Trump</a> equal time to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>’s surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, by providing him a chance to directly address voters following a Nascar race.</p><p>A US government communications regulator had claimed that Harris’s surprise appearance on the comedy program violated <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/political_programming_fact_sheet.pdf">“equal time” rules</a> that govern political programming. Brendan Carr, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), had <a href="https://x.com/brendancarrfcc/status/1852887210330341693?s=46">called</a> Harris’s appearance “a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule”.</p><p><strong>Don’t miss important US election coverage. <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">Get our free app</a> and sign up for election alerts</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/04/when-do-polls-close-election-day">When do polls close</a>?</p><p>How the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/01/election-electoral-college-votes-explained">electoral college works</a></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/26/elec