Overview
- Under questioning by Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Brendan Carr said the FCC is not formally independent, shortly before the agency removed “independent” from its online mission description.
- Democrats accused Carr of using the FCC’s public-interest authority to pressure broadcasters after Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk, with Sen. Ed Markey urging Carr to resign.
- Carr defended his posture as enforcement of longstanding broadcast rules, denied causing Kimmel’s brief suspension, and said licensees made their own decisions.
- The FCC under Carr has opened inquiries into ABC, CBS, NBC News and some local stations, with Carr citing tools such as the news-distortion and broadcast hoax policies.
- Lawmakers pressed for heightened scrutiny of Nexstar’s proposed purchase of Tegna as Carr signaled openness to revisiting ownership limits, while Sen. Ted Cruz tempered earlier criticism of Carr’s Kimmel comments.