Anna Gomez says if she is removed by the Trump administration from her seat on the Federal Communications Commission, it won’t be because she failed to do her job but because she insisted on doing it.
In a speech to the Media Institute Communications Forum today, the Democrat continued her recent criticisms of the administration for running “a campaign to censor and control.”
She said the FCC under Chairman Brendan Carr “has been implementing the will of this administration and undermining the First Amendment at every turn.”
Gomez used the speech to provide a laundry list of examples.
“In the Tech Media Telecom ecosystem, they have initiated investigations and floated debilitating rate regulation schemes that target national network broadcasters for their newsrooms’ editorial decisions, harassed private companies for their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts and threatened tech companies that respond to consumer demands for content moderation and fact-checking. Separately, they have attempted to shutter Voice of America and sought retribution against lawful residents that protest administration policies,” she said.
“They are banning books and seeking to erase history from the public record and from our national museums. And they are targeting law firms, unions and all those that have the skills and the will to stand up for the victims of this campaign of censorship and control.
“And, of course, I cannot leave out the fact that they have been firing presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed commissioners of multimember independent agencies who dare to speak the truth. Broadly speaking, these efforts are unprecedented and indefensible.”
In broadcasting, she said FCC licensing authority is being weaponized to chill speech. “We are witnessing a dangerous precedent: the transformation of an independent regulator into an instrument of political censorship. This FCC has made clear that it will go after any news outlet that dares to report the truth if that truth is unfavorable to this administration.”
She said this undermines civic engagement and presents a threat to public safety.
“I’ve visited local TV and radio stations across the country and in a variety of communities. Local news provides lifesaving information during storms, wildfires and other emergencies. It serves veterans, seniors and rural communities. But partisan politics is now putting these resources at risk. The FCC should not be in the business of controlling access to vital local information. We should be promoting free and open access to the news.”
She went on to criticize the administration for “the growing government effort to undermine Section 230,” including pressuring social media companies to stop user-supported moderation and factchecking. She said the FCC’s actions on DEI “are intimidation tactics meant to control who gets to speak.” And she lamented the administration’s actions in regards to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “When minority commissioners dissent, they are marginalized — or worse, fired.” She said Congress created the FCC as an organization of independent experts led by a multi-member, multi-party commission.
Gomez told the audience that she has received backing for her position from across the ideological spectrum. “Never in my career have I received as much support as I have for speaking out about the importance of the First Amendment and the dangers the current FCC’s actions pose to democracy,” she said.
The text of her remarks has been posted on the FCC website.
