FCC Leader Says Agency is No Longer Independent as He’s Grilled by Democrats Over Kimmel Controversy

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 17: Brendan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), speaks at the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee oversight hearing in the U.S. Capitol Building on December 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. This is the first Senate Commerce oversight hearing with all FCC commissioners present since 2020. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic senators are criticizing the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air. At a hearing Wednesday, Democrats on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee suggested that Brendan Carr was politicizing an independent agency and trampling the First Amendment. Carr says he’s simply enforcing laws that hold broadcasters to stricter scrutiny. But a commissioner appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden told senators that the FCC has “undermined its reputation as a stable, independent and expert-driven regulatory body.”