FCC commissioner Anna M. Gomez warned broadcasters of her grave concerns over what she sees as a “disturbing” pattern of efforts by the Trump administration to impose politically motivated controls over news media outlets.
Gomez spoke with urgency Monday during a Q&A session held at the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas.
“My alarm over what we are seeing today is so high right now that I will not stop speaking out because I have to. I cannot allow this to continue without raising alarm bells. And I really hope I’m not alone in doing that,” Gomez said in a moderated conversation with Wall Street Journal reporter Joe Flint and Q&A with conference delegates.
Topics included DEI policy regulations for private companies, following the FCC’s recent moves to open investigations into companies including Disney and ABC. “If we are going to get into the business of policing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices, I want to see where in the statute we have authority to do so,” she asserted. Describing this as “harassment,” she added, “when you see companies capitulating, that is the end goal.”
She viewed investigations into and public broadcasters such as NPR and PBS as a “fishing expedition to find a reason to tell Congress to defund public broadcasting. I don’t think it’s really because there was any evidence of any wrongdoing whatsoever. … I worry that this is about shutting down voices.” The FCC is also in a charged battle with CBS News over its investigation of politically charged “news distortion” complaint against CBS’ New York flagship station related to “60 Minutes’ ” interview broadcast last October with then presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
During the session, Gomez reminded delegates that the FCC is an independent agency created by Congress. “It is important that we are seen as an expert agency that is driven by technological decisions in the public interest and not controlled by a political agenda,” she said. “It is particularly important for media regulation, which is why we were set up as an independent agency a long time ago, because there were fears of the type of interference that you are now seeing today from the White House down with media, whether it’s our broadcasters, public media and internet platforms, all in the attempt to control speech.”
She elaborated, “not only have we seen the actions against the broadcasters for editorial decisions that this administration doesn’t like. We’ve seen this administration, throughout the administration, threaten tech companies for their moderation practices to give consumers an environment that they want and to fast check this information. … it is an absolute pattern of censorship and control. If we let them do this, it will be to the harm of this country.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr was appointed by President Trump and assumed the role in January. Gomez, who will soon be the only Democrat on the commission as Geoffrey Stark has announced that he will step down this spring, was the only commissioner to attend the convention, something the NAB attributed to federal employee travel suspensions. “I felt it was important enough for me to come to meet with broadcasters and to speak, and so I self funded,” Gomez responded when asked about her participation, receiving applause.
On the current FCC dynamic, Gomez said, “Chairman Carr cares very deeply about ensuring that he collaborates well with other commissioners and the commission. I realize that I have been very passionate in my concerns about what the FCC is doing, but on a personal level, he and I actually work very well together.” She added, “I would really love to see the commission pivot away from these culture wars, from these areas that are outside of our statutory agreement, and focus on our core mission, which we can do on a bipartisan basis.”
Asked to looking ahead, Gomez restated her concerns and shared a call to action. “That level of control and censorship is really terrifying, so I’m afraid of where we’re going to be in two years if we allow it to continue.” She urged those that can, to “continue to speak up and hold their ground.”
“I can imagine that there is a chilling effect at play here, where whoever speaks up is going to be targeted,” she continued, adding, “sticking your neck is not not the easiest thing to do. But I would hope that if they are targeted, that they, in fact, think about the repercussions on our democracy.”
Gomez, a Democrat, was appointed to the FCC in 2023.
