Senate Democrats: Carr Must Stop 'Weaponizing' FCC Via Broadcaster Investigations
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts said Thursday he led two other Senate Commerce Committee Democrats -- Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Gary Peters of Michigan -- in raising concerns with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington about recent commission actions they see as “weaponizing its authority over broadcasters and public media for political purposes.”
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The Democratic senators lambasted Carr for ordering a string of investigations against U.S. broadcasters. The probes, launched since Carr took office Jan. 20, thus far focus on broadcasters that have run content critical of President Donald Trump or otherwise face claims of pro-Democratic Party bias. Carr has, in some cases, framed the scrutiny as focused on other matters (see 2502110063). House Judiciary Committee Democrats repeatedly cited misgivings about Carr’s actions during a Wednesday hearing (see 2502120041).
Carr has been opening and reopening “investigations into broadcasting companies without any evidence of wrongdoing in what appears to be an attempt to intimidate broadcasters for political purposes,” the Democrats said in a letter to the chairman and Simington. “Specifically, we are concerned by both of your recent assertions that broadcast stations could be investigated over their editorial decision-making, which raises concerns under the First Amendment.”
The lawmakers are also “deeply concerned that in just the first two weeks” of Carr's tenure as chairman, the FCC “reinstated three previously closed complaints against ABC, CBS, and NBC -- absent any new evidence -- without also reinstating a similar complaint against a Fox broadcasting station. Finally, we are troubled by your announced investigation into PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) member stations without any evidence that these news sources have departed from decades-long practices for sponsorship disclosures.”
Those “efforts appear politically motivated and designed to punish, censor or intimidate members of the free press based on political disagreement with editorial choices,” the senators said. “This weaponization of the FCC is unacceptable. We urge you to immediately cease such conduct and respect the First Amendment.” The FCC and Carr’s office didn’t immediately comment.