‘the Fcc Has No Business Threatening To Take Away Broadcast Licenses’

The Federal Communication Commission should not become a tool for President-elect Donald Trump to lash out at news broadcasters, tech companies and others he sees as adversaries, the agency’s outgoing chair, Jessica Rosenworcel, said in an interview.

“We make decisions about communications based on the record, based on the facts, and based on the law. And not based on the whims coming out of the White House or the grievances of the president,” Rosenworcel said on today’s POLITICO Tech podcast.

The FCC is an independent agency overseeing U.S. communications networks, though its chair and commissioners are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. Trump has designated Brendan Carr, the commission’s senior Republican, to serve as the next chair. In a recent CNBC interview, Carr said he is working with the Trump transition team to “understand 100 percent what their agenda is.”

Trump has threatened to revoke the broadcast licenses of news networks he deems too critical and Carr echoed those sentiments during the last election cycle. Carr took shots at CBS and NBC over what he considered favorable treatment of Vice President Kamala Harris, and he has said in recent days that “broadcast licenses are not sacred cows.”

Carr has also vowed to use his perch atop the FCC to target tech companies like Apple, Meta, Google and Microsoft — which he has dubbed “the censorship cartel” — over concerns from Trump and Republican lawmakers that they suppress conservative voices.

“The FCC has no business threatening to take away broadcast licenses because the president does not like the content or coverage on a network,” Rosenworcel said. “And that same First Amendment duty applies to what is out there online.”

POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly spoke with Rosenworcel about her tenure atop the FCC, from Chinese hackers and AI deepfakes, as well as the agency’s future under the incoming Trump administration. Listen to the full interview.

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