It’s a word that was recently used by junior Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gómez to describe the actions of Chairman Brendan Carr under the direction of the Trump Administration in the days since he took the agency’s reins from Jessica Rosenworcel: weaponization.
Now, three Democratic Senators are using the word in joining Gómez in condemning Carr for taking things a bit too far at the Commission.
Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), each members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, signed a letter sent to Carr and Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington regarding “recent actions taken by the FCC under the Trump administration demonstrating that the FCC is weaponizing its authority over broadcasters and public media for political purposes.”
In the letter, the trio of legislators express their “serious concern” over the opening and reopening of investigations into broadcasting companies — namely a matter involving CBS News — “without any evidence of wrongdoing in what appears to be an attempt to intimidate broadcasters for political purposes.”
Specifically, Markey, Luján and Peters are concerned by recent assertions from both Carr and Simington that broadcast stations could be investigated over their editorial decision-making, which raises concerns under the First Amendment.
Additionally, the Senators “are deeply concerned that in just the first two weeks under Chairman Carr, the Commission has reinstated three previously closed complaints against ABC, CBS, and NBC — absent any new evidence — without also reinstating a similar complaint against a Fox broadcasting station.”
Lastly, the three senators say they are “troubled” by an announced investigation into PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) member stations “without any evidence that these news sources have departed from decades-long practices for sponsorship disclosures.” They write, “Taken together, these efforts appear politically motivated and designed to punish, censor or intimidate members of the free press based on political disagreement with editorial choices. This weaponization of the FCC is unacceptable.”
Thus, Markey, Luján and Peters urge both Simington and Carr “to immediately cease such conduct and respect the First Amendment … We urge you both to follow the Constitution, immediately cease abusing the FCC’s legal authority, and return to the evidence-based decision-making that has been a staple of the Commission’s long and storied history.”
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