If the FCC answers to Trump, all of TV News does too

The Frightening Impact of an FCC that’s no longer “independent”

The FCC got some flack when it removed the word “independent” from its mission statement on its website after Chairman Brendan Carr and the other Trump-appointed commissioner told the Senate last month that they no longer consider the Commission to be an independent agency. The sole Democratic commissioner has sounded the alarm saying the impact of last year’s FCC actions has been to give Trump a “veto over critical reporting”. This has dire implications for press freedom and the public’s right to be informed.

Tomorrow morning, the House has its own oversight hearing and the Members must use it to delve into what that means for specific actions the FCC might take. Trump has repeatedly called for the FCC to sanction the TV networks for reasons that are blatant violations of the First Amendment. He has said that ABC affiliates (and sometimes NBC’s too) should lose broadcast rights because:

Their reporting is too negative
They continued to air Jimmy Kimmel
Their reporters asked impertinent questions
Their comedians make jokes about him

These reasons are all blatantly unconstitutional. But considering that two of the three sitting commissioners have said they consider the FCC to be subservient to the president, (two seats are vacant, awaiting Trump nominations) that makes Trump’s statements much more ominous. What’s in store? Do they plan to follow their boss’s orders? Trump has already remade and intimidated the White House and Pentagon press pools — banishing and humiliating journalists.

Eventually, Trump is likely to insist on the FCC following through on his blatantly unconstitutional suggestions. What happens then? Will they follow orders as lack of independence implies? Considering that Carr has sported a Trump bust on his lapel, he presumably will. But In the unlikely event that they do stand up to him, he can fire them and find more compliant lackeys.

Considering the extraordinary powers that the Commission has over broadcast licenses and mergers, this is particularly ominous for TV News. If the FCC answers to Trump, all of TV News does too. TV News is still the main source of news for millions of Americans. The FCC has other important powers over things like satellite communications. He has said he wants to “add rocket fuel to the space economy”. Have they, or will they, give Musk special treatment?

Congressional Oversight Hearing

Fortunately, the House is holding an oversight hearing on Wednesday which gives them an opportunity to interrogate Carr, and his fellow commissioners, and to highlight the threats a dependent FCC creates. They can use the platform to probe into these questions and illustrate the damage being done to our freedoms.

The experience of CBS News is a vivid example of what is likely to happen. In 2025, Trump and Carr coordinated to hand CBS News (via Paramount) to Trump-allies billionaires Larry and David Ellison. In a few short months, we have seen CBS turned into a Trump PR and protection outlet. The Ellisons rapidly made it clear that they will look to prevent the network from doing any reporting critical of Trump. They got bad publicity when their minion, Bari Weiss, abruptly canceled a 60 Minutes episode. But it is likely that the censorship will continue but be done more quietly in the future.

ALL other major networks are also in the FCC crosshairs

CNN is the most urgent case. Its owner, Warner Brothers Discovery, is on the auction block. The FCC has power over media mergers. Trump has said he would put his thumb on the scale to assure that CNN ends up controlled by owners friendlier to him. The Ellison’s company, Paramount, has launched a hostile bid for control and promised “sweeping changes” if they are successful at capturing CNN. As we’ll discuss shortly, it should be possible to stop this takeover but it will take an organized campaign.

Chairman Carr is already gunning for all the other networks that have been independent. His first act as Chair was to reinstate proceedings against ABC and NBC. PBS has been defunded and recently a right-wing organization has filed a comment to FCC suggesting it should scrutinize their station licenses. Notably he did not take action on our petition (now under appeal) requesting the FCC hold a hearing to determine if the Murdoch’s and Fox — should be relicensed for 29 local owned-and operated TV stations they own and are under the FCC purview (Fox News is not).

The FCC is also looking to scrap rules that currently constrain ownership consolidation of local TV stations and allow a mega-merger of local station owners. So, local news is likely to become less “local” and more a mouthpiece for MAGA allies. That’s not all, the FCC has control over internet and satellite communications that creates opportunities for it to do favors for Elon Musk and other billionaire MAGA cronies.

We can stop this

Early last year, Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez called out Trump’s ‘absolute pattern of censorship and control’. More recent actions by Carr and the FCC have only increased our alarm. Congress and the public must work to stop them.

The successful public pushback when Chairman Carr tried to force Kimmel off the air shows that organized citizens can have an impact. Carr will be questioned by a House oversight committee on Wednesday January 14. You can watch it live. Abuse of government power is not a partisan issue. This is a golden opportunity to interrogate Carr on these issues and highlight these threats. Courts can also block the merger. Right now, we need to mobilize to keep CNN independent. The Paramount bid is financed by Saudi, Qatari and Abu Dhabi interests so it should be very clear that it is not in America’s interest. Public outcry and Congressional pressure can make a difference.

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