House Oversight Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told us Wednesday that she has firmed up a late March date for a hearing with PBS CEO Paula Kerger and NPR CEO Katherine Maher to examine claims that public broadcasters’ content has a pro-Democratic bias (see 2502030064). Greene earlier this month proposed March 24 as one potential date for the hearing. The panel will take place amid growing GOP interest in ending federal funding for the broadcasters.
The FCC has sent letters to U.S. tech companies that are regulated under the EU’s Digital Services Act, offering to help them oppose “censorship requests coming from Europe,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in a post-meeting press conference Thursday. Europe's DSA is “very discriminatory” and “Orwellian” and requires U.S. platforms to censor speech, Carr said. The letters -- sent to Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, X, Snap, Wikipedia, LinkedIn and Pinterest -- ask the companies to schedule briefings with him on “reconciling the DSA with America’s free speech tradition” and the role of EU officials in encouraging censorship. The briefings should also include information on the economic and technical feasibility of geofencing -- separating online platforms into two, with one consistent with EU law and the other “for free speech,” Carr said. The DSA “is positioned to thwart efforts by U.S. tech companies to preserve and respect First Amendment principles on their platforms,” the letters said. They highlighted DSA rules against hate speech, blasphemy, insults and speaking ill of the dead, and an impending rule that requires companies to follow the EU’s rules against disinformation. Carr said the DSA could force U.S. companies to alter their content moderation policies to meet EU standards, which would take them away from fostering free speech. The letters give companies until Monday to respond.
NCTA President Michael Powell is retiring by year-end, the cable industry group said Thursday. He has held the position since spring 2011. Powell, 61, spent a term as FCC commissioner, starting in November 1997, and then served as chairman from 2001 through March 2005. Powell's "strategic insight and commitment have shaped the cable industry’s most significant achievements, and his leadership will be greatly missed," NCTA board Chairman and Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex said. NCTA said it would begin a national search for a successor. Powell "will have a lasting legacy in our industry," ACA Connects President Grant Spellmeyer wrote on X. "Thankful for his many years of service to this country and his kind mentorship to me!"
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is warning Verizon about what he says are its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. "While I am pleased with the progress different companies are making" in ending DEI practices, "I am concerned by the apparent lack of progress at Verizon," he said in a letter dated Thursday to CEO Hans Vestberg. Carr posted the letter on X, pointing to materials on Verizon's website where it says it is "deeply committed to sustaining a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion within our company and the communities we serve." The letter also cites media reports about DEI practices or promotions at Verizon. "[P]romoting invidious forms of discrimination cannot be squared with any reasonable interpretation of federal law," Carr said. "It can only deprive Americans of their rights to fair and equal treatment under the law." Carr said that as head of the agency, "it is important to me that the entities the Commission regulates fully adhere to our country's laws." To resolve the issue, he said, "please reach out to the agency personnel working on Verizon's pending transactions with the FCC." The FCC's Enforcement Bureau under Carr is investigating the DEI programs of Comcast and its NBCUniversal (see 2502110063).
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday his actions against broadcast networks are based on precedents set by former FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, and his views on free speech and the role of the FCC have been consistent throughout his time there.
EchoStar's Boost Wireless ended 2024 with a rarity -- subscriber gains -- but its pay-TV business and HughesNet subscriber numbers continued to fall, according to Q4 financial results announced Thursday. In a call with analysts, CEO Hamid Akhavan said he expects the Boost subscriber growth to continue in 2025.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday that staffing changes are coming to the FCC and that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is likely headed to the agency. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez warned about the Donald Trump administration’s continuing moves against the federal workforce. Commissioners agreed on three wireless items (see 2502270042) and Calm Act rules at the meeting, as well as taking additional steps on robocalls.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr attempted to strike a balance during his Thursday post-commission meeting news conference in his response to a question about where he stands in the battle that Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is waging against DOD opposition to reallocating any military-controlled spectrum for commercial wireless use (see 2502190068). Carr said policymakers “can find a path forward” to increase spectrum availability that will also “fully protect the interests of our national security” and DOD.
The FCC on Thursday approved a pair of spectrum auction notices 4-0 at the first commission meeting under Chairman Brendan Carr. In one change of note, the FCC agreed to a tribal priority window in the AWS-3 NPRM and to mention it in the upper C-band notice of inquiry. A few changes were expected (see 2502260029).
The FCC Space Bureau "got the Commission’s policy and precedent right" when it denied U.S. market access to Sateliot, "and Sateliot continues to get it wrong" in challenging the decision, EchoStar said. In an opposition filed with the Space Bureau this week to Sateliot's petition for review (see 2502100033), EchoStar said the FCC's findings about the infeasibility of operators sharing the 2 GHz band "remain true today." It said Sateliot hasn't argued that the Space Bureau got anything wrong in its denial.