FCC's Brendan Carr Wants to Limit Influence of Broadcast Networks

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared Monday on CNBC’s “Money Movers” at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, hosted by anchor David Faber. The 20-minute discussion covered Carr’s vision for the FCC, ongoing investigations, and regulatory priorities.

Carr expressed a desire to “constrain” the influence of national broadcast networks (e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) over their local affiliates. He cited complaints from local broadcasters who feel forced to air national programming, limiting their ability to serve local community needs. “I hear directly from local broadcasters and say, ‘Look, I’d like to do something different. I’d like to serve the needs of my local community. I’d like more localism, but I have to take this national program’ in cases where they don’t even want to,” Carr said.

He announced plans to investigate network-affiliate contract agreements to empower local stations, potentially increasing “localism” in broadcasting. This move could disrupt the traditional network-affiliate model, though Carr acknowledged the process would be complex.

Brendan Carr: "The agenda that I'm trying to run at the FCC is to empower those actual local television stations to serve the public interest because what we've seen is we've got national news media -- ABC, NBC, CBS -- they're exercising more control over those local TV stations.… pic.twitter.com/JIRq56vKBJ

— JB Slear (@JB_Slear) May 5, 2025

Carr advocated for reforming what he called “arcane artificial limits” on TV station ownership, arguing that current FCC regulations unfairly restrict broadcasters compared to tech giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple, which face no such limits. 

“You have relatively small TV station groups that are competing with Google and Facebook and others in the advertising market,” he noted, suggesting that relaxing ownership caps could help broadcasters compete.

Carr emphasized spectrum allocation as “probably the most important thing we can do for the economy right now.” He described spectrum as “the airwaves your smartphones use” and stressed the need to move “hundreds of megahertz out on the marketplace” to drive down consumer prices and spur innovation.

CNBC: Would you potentially block a deal because of DEI policy? @BrendanCarrFCC: "Yeah, of course... I told everybody that if they want to get a deal done before the FCC, they need to get rid of any invidious forms of discrimination." pic.twitter.com/8ljrNatDMe

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2025

He highlighted progress made during Trump’s first term and vowed to push for renewed FCC spectrum auction authority, which he sees as critical for expanding 5G and other wireless technologies.

When asked about his goals for the next three years, Carr outlined a plan to reduce the FCC’s regulatory footprint: “One—take that code of federal regulations & get it down.” He also prioritized permitting reform to streamline infrastructure projects and spectrum auctions to boost economic growth.

He framed deregulation as a way to “unleash America’s private sector,” arguing that spectrum, permitting reform, and deregulation are central to the FCC’s agenda.

🚨 REPORTER: Are you threatening to pull CBS's license?

FCC COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR: It's not a threat. That's a penalty that is in the communications act.

REPORTER: When was the last time the FCC pulled a broadcast license?

CARR: It's been a long time, and I think that's… pic.twitter.com/rypkUgPgSU

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) May 5, 2025

“60 Minutes” Inquiry and News Distortion:  Carr addressed the FCC’s investigation into CBS’s “60 Minutes” over alleged news distortion in a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris. He insisted the probe was part of the FCC’s “normal course of review” and not politically motivated, despite critics labeling it a “political stunt.” He maintained he had not read Trump’s related lawsuit against CBS and claimed the investigation was separate from the FCC’s review of Paramount Global’s sale to Skydance Media.