FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr's Political Influence Raises Concerns Over Press Freedom and Public Interest Policy
Brendan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), recently testified at a Senate hearing that the FCC has undergone a significant political transformation and is no longer independent. He admitted that commissioners serve at the pleasure of President Donald Trump. Following this admission, the FCC removed references to its independence from its website.
Carr's approach aligns with the unitary executive theory, allowing him to define the public interest in a way that suits the president and advances his agenda. Data from the Freedom of the Press Foundation indicates that Carr's actions against licensees' speech targeted content that upset Trump, including edits to 60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris, remarks by Jimmy Kimmel about Charlie Kirk’s death, and Comcast reporting that contradicted Trump's immigration claims.
Senator Ted Cruz has called for the repeal of the public interest standard and its 'news distortion rule,' warning that such rules could be weaponized as censorship. Carr's inquiry in the KCBS case led to the demotion of an anchor, reduced political coverage, questioning of staff on political bias, and described a chilling effect by veteran reporter Doug Sovern. These events raise concerns about where the line stands between public-interest regulation and suppression of newsroom independence.
Carr was involved in a $16 million settlement by Paramount with Trump over the Harris interview and approved the Paramount-Skydance merger. He reopened a 'news distortion' probe into CBS shortly afterward. Paramount executives reportedly believed that settling was a prerequisite for FCC approval; Carr approved the merger days after the settlement.
His actions have attracted bipartisan criticism, including from Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, highlighting widespread concerns about the politicization of the FCC and its impact on press freedom and public-interest regulation.
