FCC Chair to Testify At Oversight Hearing

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on December 17, 2025, in a bipartisan oversight hearing that also includes Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez.

The hearing stems from Carr’s September threats to investigate ABC affiliates for “news distortion” unless they dropped Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel joked about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. 

Carr told a podcast, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” implying license reviews for Disney-owned ABC and local stations.

Senator Ted Cruz

Within hours, Sinclair and Nexstar—operating 70 ABC affiliates reaching nearly 25 % of U.S. households—preempted the show. Disney suspended Kimmel for six days, citing “ill-timed” remarks. Both station groups later restored the program with no editorial concessions.

Even committee chair Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blasted Carr’s tactics as “mafioso” pressure that could boomerang on conservative media. Democrats, led by Sens. Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren, accused Carr of “coordinated attack on the free press.”

Carr insists he only “called out” Kimmel’s conduct and empowered local stations to serve their communities. He has denied any threat to licenses.

Senators will grill Carr on FCC-White House contacts, merger leverage, and whether the agency is now a political censorship tool. The December 17 session marks the first time in years local broadcasters successfully pushed back on a national network—exactly the outcome Carr says he wants.