FCC’s Gomez Responds to Commission’s Equal Opportunity Memorandum
FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez responds to the Commission’s Guidance on Political Equal Opportunities Requirement for Broadcast Television Stations that it issued on January 21, taking an opposing view from FCC Chair Brendan Carr. She states: “Nothing has
fundamentally changed with respect to our political broadcasting rules. The FCC has not adopted any new regulation, interpretation, or Commission-level policy altering the long-standing news exemption or equal time framework. For decades, the Commission has recognized that bona fide news interviews, late-night programs, and daytime news shows are entitled to editorial discretion based on newsworthiness, not political favoritism. That principle has not been repealed, revised, or voted on by the Commission. This announcement therefore does not change the law, but it does represent an escalation in this FCC’s ongoing campaign to censor and control speech.
“The First Amendment does not yield to government intimidation. Broadcasters should not feel pressured to water down, sanitize, or avoid critical coverage out of fear of regulatory retaliation. Broadcast stations have a constitutional right to carry newsworthy content, even when that content is critical of those in power. That does not change today, it will not change tomorrow, and it will not change simply because of this Administration’s desire to silence its critics.”
defund, or threaten news outlets that support the government’s views, and there’s a reason for that. This has never been about saving money. It’s about silencing those who report the news accurately, without fear or favor. The true cost of this one-sided attack on free speech will be felt most by small and rural communities across the country. Much like the disappearance of local newspapers, cutting off support for public stations could create a new kind of ‘news desert.’ In many hard-to-reach areas, these stations may be the only source for the public to receive emergency alerts, traffic updates, and information about local events and ways to stay engaged in their own neighborhoods. Defunding them strips away these essential services and further isolates the very communities these stations seek to serve. The FCC is playing a dangerous game with its own baseless attacks on public broadcast stations. Its role should be to protect and expand the public’s access to timely, accurate news that is free from political interference. I will continue fighting this FCC’s politically motivated efforts to investigate and harass these stations.”