FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the commission, delivered a keynote at the Grassroots Radio Conference in Spokane, Washington, on Friday, warning that current FCC policies threaten First Amendment rights and media diversity. Speaking to community radio advocates, she criticized the Trump administration for weaponizing the FCC to silence critics through censorship and intimidation, describing it as a direct assault on free press values.
Gomez, who launched a First Amendment Tour to highlight these issues, accused the administration of targeting broadcasters, harassing private companies over DEI initiatives, attempting to shut down Voice of America, and even banning books to erase history.
Radio World was first to report she claimed broadcasters face a stark choice: comply with the administration’s demands or face crippling investigations and potential license revocations.
Since Brendan Carr became FCC chairman in January, Gomez argued, the agency has enabled the government to abuse its power to secure favorable media coverage. She accused the FCC of using vague “public service obligations” to silence dissent, urging the agency to revisit the Fairness Doctrine, repealed in 1987, and define “public interest” clearly.
Gomez warned of the FCC’s plans to lift broadcast ownership caps, which she said would undermine localism, competition, and viewpoint diversity—core pillars of media policy. She argued that such moves prioritize financial gain over diverse voices, further consolidating media and limiting public discourse. “Each merger and closure of newsrooms limits the voices we hear,” she said, emphasizing that the administration’s actions threaten the foundation of democracy itself.