Less than a month after defending his record before the Senate, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is heading back to Capitol Hill. Carr will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee for another round of oversight next week.
The hearing, scheduled for the morning of January 14, will feature testimony from Carr alongside Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty. Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said the session will focus on ensuring the Commission “remains focused on the issues that matter most to our constituents.”
Carr’s appearance follows his December testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee, the FCC’s first such hearing in five years, where he outlined his priorities on local broadcasting, public interest, and deregulation. When Carr returns to Congress next week, those same themes are expected to take center stage, along with potential additions about America’s AI future.
President Donald Trump’s latest Executive Order on artificial intelligence directs Carr to launch a rulemaking that could establish a single national disclosure and reporting framework for AI models, effectively overriding conflicting state laws. Carr has called the move “historic,” saying it advances national security, limits “ideological bias” in AI systems, and prevents what he described as excessive state interference. But the order arrives amid rising friction between states and Washington over who controls AI governance, a tension likely to surface during the House oversight hearing.
On a lighter note, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act could also draw more very welcome attention. During his December testimony, Carr called the legislation “a linchpin of our emergency response system” and applauded the bipartisan work of Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA) to protect AM access as automakers phase out the band in electric vehicles.
Beyond broadcasting, House members are likely to press Carr on broadband expansion and spectrum management. Both Guthrie and Hudson have made universal connectivity and national wireless competitiveness top priorities for the Committee. Carr will likely be asked to provide updates on the FCC’s progress closing the digital divide, coordinating broadband funding, and advancing 5G and 6G infrastructure.
Cybersecurity and network integrity may also emerge as points of discussion, including the Commission’s efforts to remove foreign-manufactured telecom equipment and protect US networks from security threats.
