Alone at the FCC

Donald Trump might be in power, and his hand-picked FCC commissioner Brendan Carr may be helping him weaponize the agency in ways that have even resulted in unprecedented rebukes from former Republican commissioners—but Anna Gomez isn’t cowering in silence. The Democratic commissioner is speaking out in stark terms about what she sees as a disturbing campaign to intimidate journalists, punish critical media outlets, and turn the FCC into a tool used to extract political retribution.

Gomez has launched a national First Amendment tour, warning that broadcasters are already pulling punches out of fear—and that the consequences for democracy could be severe. Now, in a wide-ranging and candid interview with Status, Gomez discusses her relationship with Carr, what it's like to serve as a commissioner during this turbulent time, and what she hopes to accomplish before her term expires.

Below is the Q&A, lightly edited for style.

You’ve described the FCC under Brendan Carr as being weaponized to suppress media critics of the Trump administration. What is it like to serve on the FCC at a time in which the body is being used as a political cudgel?

It’s surreal. I mean, sure, we’ve had very public and very vocal disagreements before. But I never thought I’d see this agency so willingly cede its independence to this administration and allow itself to be turned into an instrument of censorship and political retaliation.

We are meant to be an independent, stable, expert-driven regulatory body, not a tool to settle personal grievances. I worry about the irreparable harm that will come to our reputation both at-home and abroad, and what this means for how this agency will operate moving forward under new leadership, regardless of the party that is in power.

Now add to that the fact that anyone who speaks up at independent agencies tends to get fired, and that has made for an interesting few months here at the FCC.

What is your relationship like with Carr? Has he been receptive to any of your feedback and what does he make of your public criticism?

You know, we actually have a good working relationship. In fact, we’ve identified some areas where we’ve been able to work together and I’m hopeful we may do so again in the future.

But ultimately, he understands that I need to speak out. I’d like to think I’m pretty direct and transparent with him about my concerns, so he knows where I stand.

You've been touring the nation, with the aim of raising awareness regarding the threats to free speech. How has that been going? And do you think it is making any real difference?

It’s been great. Never in my career have I received as much support as I have for speaking out about the importance of the First Amendment and the dangers the current FCC’s actions pose to democracy.

I’ve found myself aligned with voices with which I never imagined I’d agree. I think that’s because across the ideological spectrum there remains a shared belief that the First Amendment is fundamental to democracy and is worth fighting for, even when it’s politically inconvenient.

What concerns me is that I’ve already heard from broadcasters who are telling their reporters to be careful about the way the cover this administration. I think that’s wrong, and my message to them and everyone I meet on this tour is to not be afraid to speak up. It is up to all of us to remind those in power that the First Amendment is not optional.

Talk to us about the probes that Carr has launched into media companies. What is the role you are playing in these investigations?

Let’s first take a step back and remember that the complaints filed against the networks had previously been dismissed by FCC experts due to lack of evidence and because they fell far short of the high standard needed for us to act on them. Also, as an agency our authority rests with each individual broadcast station, not with national media companies.

What this FCC did was revive those baseless complaints as a justification to retaliate against broadcasters whose content or coverage is perceived to be unfavorable by this Administration. Their goal is to instill fear in broadcast stations and to influence a network’s editorial decisions. That is, of course, a blatant violation of the First Amendment and an attack on press freedom.

This was the primary motivation for me to launch my First Amendment Tour. As a minority commissioner, my power lies in my ability to dissent. I have a platform to shine a light on the abuses happening at this agency, and I plan to continue doing so.

On the "60 Minutes" situation specifically, Carr has said it is not tied to the Paramount-Skydance merger. Do you believe that? Obviously, most observers do not.

Well, I’ve seen and heard otherwise. I also think he previously did say that the complaint would be part of the review.

The transcript and video of the “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President [Kamala] Harris show no evidence of wrongdoing, only the standard editorial judgments used across the news industry to ensure clarity and brevity. That investigation should be dismissed immediately.

Ultimately, this has been a cynical effort to force Paramount’s hand to settle a baseless lawsuit and potentially extract from them dangerous merger conditions that would further erode our fundamental right to free expression.

This is a dangerous form of regulatory retaliation, and I hope other companies understand that capitulation is a heavy price to pay in this case. Because it really is just censorship by another name, and the longer companies respond with corporate cowardice, the more ground we all stand to lose in preserving our right to speak freely and to hold power to account.

Your term expires in July 2026. What do you want to accomplish in your final year as a commissioner?

That is correct, although my time at the agency may be automatically extended through January 2028 without Senate action. Regardless of whether I serve until then, or if I am fired tomorrow for speaking out against this administration’s campaign to censor and control, my north star will continue to be a focus on protecting consumers, promoting competition, and securing our communications networks. This is the important and fundamental work that Congress tasked this independent agency with carrying out, not the partisan culture wars we’ve seen so far. I’ll keep speaking out against those actions so we can get back to those core priorities, and I am ready to work with my colleagues to make sure consumers are once again top of mind at the FCC.

Our new weekly podcast, Power Lines, is here.

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In our first episode: We take you inside Linda Yaccarino’s falling out with Elon Musk and what it means for X’s future. We examine whether the Skydance takeover of Paramount, coupled with Donald Trump’s influence, could spell trouble for Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart. And we debate whether Apple’s “F1” was really a box office hit, while dissecting Superman’s return to the silver screen.

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