FCC Chair Drops Pretense: Agency Now "At the Pleasure of the President"

The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has publicly rejected the agency's traditional independence. Brendan Carr told a Senate hearing on Wednesday that a political "sea change" has occurred. Carr stated that FCC commissioners now serve "at the pleasure of the president." He said the FCC should not be seen as an independent body. In this case, the president is Donald Trump. Carr frequently wears a lapel pin with Trump's face and promotes the president's agenda in media appearances. Trump has often publicly directed Carr to punish critical news outlets. The president has called for the FCC to revoke the broadcast licenses of some networks. Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation and Clayton Weimers of Reporters Without Borders USA authored the analysis. They argue the FCC is becoming an instrument of the president's political agenda.