As the Senate Commerce Committee convened to examine the intersection of media consolidation and freedom of speech, Ranking Member Maria Cantwell had one lingering and unanswered question: “Where is Brendan Carr?”
The Washington Senator drew attention to the FCC Chair’s notable absence from recent congressional testimony and to what she describes as an accelerating wave of media mergers that threaten competition and localism in broadcasting.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Cantwell questioned why the FCC Chair has not been called to testify about decisions that have cleared the path for major consolidation in the broadcast sector. His deregulatory approach to ownership rules and approval of large-scale mergers, she argued, undermines media diversity and the public interest obligations that have long defined broadcast licensing.
“When a handful of companies control how information spreads, that makes it easier for any administration to abuse that power with political threats to chill speech,” Cantwell said, citing recent FCC and FTC approvals.
Carr’s stance on radio ownership caps has been a central focus in recent FCC proceedings, including the 2022 Quadrennial Review. Many broadcasters and industry advocates have pushed for relaxed limits on station ownership, while some, including Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, warn that further consolidation erodes local news and community-focused programming.
Cantwell’s remarks underscore a widening partisan divide: proponents of deregulation argue that loosened ownership rules promote efficiency and investment, while critics contend they suppress competition, reduce diversity of voices, and weaken the broadcast industry’s localism mandate.
The debate arrives as radio faces mounting challenges from digital platforms and shrinking local journalism.
Cantwell urged the Committee to refocus on ensuring competition and transparency across all media sectors, emphasizing that free speech protections depend on a diverse and independent press. “The First Amendment functions as an operating system for our democracy that protects everybody – comedians, protesters, the free press, and obviously people we disagree with,” she said.
Whether Carr will appear before Congress to address those concerns directly remains to be seen. Despite some unsubstantiated rumors at the beginning of the month, the FCC Chairman has said nothing of testifying.
