Brendan Carr Sees Busy Summer At FCC

At a press conference following the FCC’s June Open Meeting, Chair Brendan Carr announced an ambitious agenda for the summer, leveraging the agency’s restored quorum with the addition of Republican Commissioner Olivia Trusty.

“We’re set for a highly productive July and August with several initiatives ready to move forward,” Carr stated.

Carr, a Republican, outlined key priorities, including revisiting FCC ownership caps to support local broadcasters, addressing concerns about EchoStar’s spectrum use, and reviewing the Paramount Global-Skydance Media merger, though he provided no timeline for the latter. He also reaffirmed his stance that the FCC has authority to regulate news content on licensed broadcast stations but not on cable networks like Fox News or OAN.

Responding to speculation that the FCC might loosen ownership caps for most broadcasters while maintaining restrictions on network-owned stations like ABC, CBS, and NBC, Carr clarified, “We’re open-minded about the outcome. My focus is empowering local broadcasters to serve their communities, especially as trust in national networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC is at historic lows.” 

He emphasized that local broadcasters are a key priority, stating, “One of my guiding principles is ensuring they have the freedom to meet local needs.”

Carr further explained the FCC’s authority to regulate broadcast content, citing Congress’s distinction between broadcasters and cable networks. “Broadcasters use a valuable public resource—6 MHz of spectrum—which comes with a license and statutory benefits like retransmission consent,” he said. “This creates a unique regulatory framework, requiring broadcasters to meet public-interest obligations, unlike cable networks.”