FCC Commissioners Attend NAB Show In Las Vegas

At the NAB Show 2026 underway in Las Vegas, two FCC commissioners delivered contrasting messages to broadcasters, highlighting ongoing tensions over regulatory obligations, free speech, and the future of the industry in a competitive media landscape.

In her remarks titled “Finding the Angel of the Public Interest,” FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty revisited a long-standing challenge in communications policy. Drawing from a 1998 speech by then-FCC Chairman Michael Powell—who famously described the search for an “angel” to clearly define the public interest—Trusty noted that while no single figure emerged to resolve the ambiguity, the concept remains foundational to broadcasting.

Rooted in the Communications Act, the public interest standard encompasses a broad array of obligations, including technical requirements, business practices, sponsorship identification, emergency alerts, and restrictions on indecent content. Trusty emphasized core duties such as the “equal opportunities” rule for political candidates, as well as the principle of localism—requiring stations to serve their communities’ needs and retain the flexibility to preempt network programming for important local or national stories.

Olivia Trusty

She underscored broadcasters’ vital role in delivering free, universally accessible information, especially during emergencies, along with local news, weather, and community-focused programming. Trusty acknowledged the intense competition from streaming services, podcasts, and unregulated digital platforms, arguing that the FCC must modernize policies to keep licensed broadcasters competitive and financially viable while upholding their unique public interest responsibilities.

She outlined three guiding policy goals: promoting competition, ensuring diversity of voices, and supporting localism. Trusty suggested that certain legacy regulations may need revisiting or elimination to better reflect today’s marketplace. She also expressed concern over the migration of major sports programming to subscription-based streaming, warning that such shifts could reduce public access to shared cultural events and run counter to the public interest. 

Looking forward, she called for strengthening broadcasters’ ability to innovate while maintaining transparency and public trust, noting that local stations continue to rank highly in credibility despite financial pressures and the spread of misinformation online.

Later in the day, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez—the commission’s lone Democrat—returned to the NAB Show platform one year after her 2025 address denouncing what she described as government pressure on broadcasters to silence dissenting voices. Speaking as part of a session on “The First Amendment and Press Freedom in Today’s Media Landscape,” Gomez reiterated her call for broadcasters to resist what she termed the “weaponization” of FCC rules.

Anna Gomez

Gomez told Inside Radio she was unsurprised that few broadcasters have pushed back publicly, attributing the restraint to the “chilling effect” created by the threat of regulatory action. “All of these people have business before the FCC,” she said, “and what we’re learning is this administration doesn’t hesitate to retaliate against those that speak out against it.”

For months, Gomez has conducted what she calls her “First Amendment tour” to spotlight these concerns. With FCC Chairman Brendan Carr not attending the NAB Show, her appearance highlighted potential flashpoints under the current commission, including investigations into immigration enforcement reporting, allegations of pay-to-play practices involving radio stations and concerts, and high-profile disputes with late-night hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert over equal-time rules for political candidates.

Together, the two commissioners’ appearances at the NAB Show underscored the deep divisions within the FCC and the complex balancing act facing broadcasters: fulfilling longstanding public interest obligations while navigating an evolving regulatory environment and defending core First Amendment principles amid heightened political scrutiny.