FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has a message for his critics, who recently labeled him “dangerous” and a “national censor”: Bring it on.
Since the temporary removal of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from ABC following Carr’s objections to the host’s remarks about the man accused in conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s shooting, the 46-year-old regulator has only intensified his campaign. He’s determined to eradicate what he perceives as liberal bias in broadcast media, according to sources close to his thinking.
Carr has actively defended his stance on conservative radio and Fox News, asserting that local broadcasters are finally catering to audiences weary of biased programming. He even suggested the FCC should scrutinize ABC’s daytime talk show, “The View,” over its political content. His ongoing mission, he stated, is to empower local TV stations to reject programming they disagree with.
While his language regarding ABC might have softened slightly, his core message remains unwavering: He will not back down. “There are a lot of Democrats out there that are engaged in a campaign of projection and distortion,” Carr remarked at a recent conference. “They are completely misrepresenting the work of the F.C.C. and what we’ve been doing.”
The FCC, he insists, will continue its congressional mandate to ensure broadcast television serves the public interest. “If people don’t like it,” he challenged, “they can go to Congress and change the law.”
Driven by the conviction that liberal tech and media giants have unfairly suppressed conservative voices, Carr aims to transform the FCC. Once a quiet agency focused on licensing local TV and expanding 5G networks, it is now positioned as a staunch defender of conservative speech. Interviews with ten current and former FCC officials reveal his goal to broaden the agency’s authority over televised content.
Carr, who assumed the FCC chairmanship in January, maintains he has always championed the First Amendment. He argues his current actions protect free speech by intervening in local TV programming decisions that no longer align with the public interest.
His efforts include reopening complaints alleging biased programming by ABC, NBC, and CBS during the 2024 election. This encompasses an investigation into “Saturday Night Live” for an episode featuring then-Vice President Kamala Harris. He’s also scrutinizing PBS and NPR for alleged violations of rules prohibiting commercials and has threatened to block media mergers that could compromise local stations’ independence.
Crucially, Carr is now wielding the FCC’s power to withhold licenses from local TV stations if they fail to serve the public interest by broadcasting biased content.
His recent criticism of Jimmy Kimmel, for instance, included a suggestion that the agency could consider revoking licenses from local stations airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Following this, two major local TV groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, announced they would not broadcast the show. Although Kimmel’s show returned, these groups adhered to their decision, a move Carr publicly commended.
“Notably, this is the first time recently that any local TV stations have pushed back on a national programmer like Disney,” he posted on X. “And that is a good thing because we want empowered local TV stations.”
Carr’s assertive actions have alarmed many, including lawmakers from both the left and even some on the right, such as Senators Ted Cruz (Republican of Texas) and Rand Paul (Republican of Kentucky), who argue he’s infringing on First Amendment rights. Simultaneously, he’s earned accolades from former President Trump, known for his own escalating efforts to target critics.
“This is a level of censorship we haven’t seen in my lifetime,” remarked Chris Lewis, president of the left-leaning public interest group Public Knowledge.
Carr did not respond to requests for comment, and an FCC spokesman directed inquiries to Carr’s recent interviews. Nathan Leamer, a former senior adviser to Carr, simply stated, “His strategy is coming together.”
With an extensive background in telecom law, Carr graduated from Georgetown University and Columbus Law School at Catholic University. He served as a telecom lawyer and then as general counsel for the FCC before his appointment to the commission by President Trump in 2017.
At the time, Carr sought a platform to rise to national prominence, according to two former agency officials. With encouragement from his team, he began actively criticizing major tech companies on social media.
His breakthrough came in April 2019, when he appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News. His appearance followed his critique of an opinion piece by Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, which advocated for government regulation of speech. “Outsourcing censorship to the government isn’t just a bad idea, it’s a violation of the First Amendment,” Carr declared to millions of viewers. “So I’m a no on that.” This moment solidified his status as a rising conservative voice.
In 2022, Carr was tapped by a prominent right-leaning think tank to author the FCC chapter for Project 2025, a comprehensive conservative policy blueprint for overhauling the federal government. In it, he championed free speech, advocated for repealing Section 230 (a legal protection for social media companies regarding content moderation), and proposed that tech companies contribute to a federal fund for rural broadband internet.
Leading up to the 2024 election, Carr was a vocal critic of CBS, NBC, and ABC’s political coverage. He specifically accused NBC of violating equal airtime rules when Vice President Harris appeared on “Saturday Night Live.”
“The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct — a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election,” Carr posted on social media on November 2.
Approximately two weeks later, President-elect Trump appointed Carr as the chairman of the FCC.
Under his new leadership, Carr quickly reopened complaints previously dismissed by his predecessor. These investigations targeted claims of biased and unfair programming by local television stations during the election.
Among the programs scrutinized were “Saturday Night Live,” “ABC News” for its moderation of an early presidential debate, and an edited “60 Minutes” interview with Ms. Harris on CBS.
(Notably, Paramount, CBS’s parent company, later settled a $16 million lawsuit with Mr. Trump concerning allegations of favorable editing in the interview. Soon after, Carr approved an $8 billion merger between Skydance and Paramount.)
The FCC’s authority primarily stems from its control over broadcast licenses, which require stations to operate in the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” Historically, the agency has seldom revoked these licenses.
During his inaugural FCC meeting as chairman in February, Carr began with the Pledge of Allegiance, highlighting a perceived decline in public trust in national networks and emphasizing his intent to empower local broadcasters.
“They have something special that distinguishes them from lots of other speakers, which is that they have this right to use the federal spectrum, which is a scarce resource,” Carr stated at the public meeting. “For a lot of years, the F.C.C. walked away from enforcing that public interest obligation.”
ABC’s daytime talk show, “The View,” a frequent critic of Mr. Trump, could be Carr’s next target. Classified as a news program, it is currently exempt from rules requiring equal airtime for political candidates.
“I think it’s worthwhile to have the F.C.C. look into whether ‘The View’ and some of the programs that you have still qualify as bona fide news programs,” Carr recently told a radio host.
On Monday, “The View” hosts refrained from directly addressing Carr’s remarks, but staunchly defended the principle of free speech.