Gomez: FCC Is Part of 'Censor and Control' Effort, but I Work 'Well' With Carr
LAS VEGAS—FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez on Monday decried “an administration-wide campaign to censor and control” media but said she and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr “work very well” when they collaborate. During a Q&A at NAB Show 2025, Gomez also vowed to continue speaking out if the White House fires her and said she doesn’t blame broadcasters for the industry’s lack of pushback on the FCC action against TV networks. “I understand that all these parties all have to operate in this environment, and sticking your neck out is not the easiest thing to do,” Gomez said. “There’s nothing [the White House] can do to me. They can’t even deport me!”
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Gomez said she had long heard that being a minority commissioner at the FCC was an enjoyable position because one can speak freely without bearing responsibility for the agency's actions, but she has “yet to find joy” because of the administration’s upending of norms. “I keep hoping we’ll have a normal week when we just talk about pole attachments.”
The FCC’s efforts against public broadcasters and networks and the White House's targeting of independent agencies are part of a campaign of censorship, Gomez said. It “shows weakness” that the administration “fears having someone disagree with what they are doing.” Turning the FCC’s enforcement powers against networks over their content or against companies over their diversity policies is a “politicalization” of a “law enforcement function.”
Gomez said she “isn’t worried” if the White House fires her, as it did Democratic FTC commissioners. Her “alarm” at the FCC’s current course “is so high right now that I will not stop speaking out, because I have to,” she said. “I really hope I’m not alone in doing that, but I don’t plan to stop.”
She said it’s not clear to her that the FCC has authority to go after companies over their diversity policies, and the agency’s remit isn't to police equal employment opportunity matters. “What we are seeing is just enforcement of anything they don’t like.”
Despite strongly disagreeing with the direction Carr has taken the agency, Gomez said she would like to work with him more often. “Chairman Carr cares very deeply about ensuring that he collaborates well with his other commissioners and within the commission,” she said. “I realize I’ve been very passionate about what the FCC is doing, but on a personal level, he and I work very well together.” She would “really love” to see the FCC “pivot away from the culture wars” and areas outside its authority to “focus on our core mission.” Carr “absolutely gets” that she needs to speak out, Gomez said. “I hope he will pivot, and we will work on some more bipartisan issues.”
Asked about Carr’s “Delete” proceeding, Gomez said there are always FCC rules that can be cut or streamlined, but the process should use “a scalpel” rather than a chainsaw. “I just hope this isn’t another example of this administration engaging in ready, fire, aim,” she said. Asked about NAB’s request to end the national TV ownership cap, she said she acknowledged the need for the industry to evolve to address market changes but added that the FCC should consider the public interest and the conditions in individual markets. Gomez also said the long gap in the agency’s spectrum authority and recent wave of retirements could be causing its spectrum auction capabilities to atrophy.
Gomez attended NAB Show 2025 at her own expense after the chairman’s office denied official travel requests from her and Commissioner Nathan Simington. She confirmed Monday that the denial was based on a White House-ordered suspension of agency travel and said the denied request wasn’t a surprise. “My understanding is that right now, the commission is looking at the standards for when travel is going to be approved,” Gomez said. “I felt it was important enough for me to come to meet with broadcasters, so I self-funded.”