1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Today I take pen in hand to write and urge you to take immediate legislative action to prevent FCC Chair Brendan Carr from reinterpreting the equal time rule exception in ways that would grant the federal government unprecedented regulatory power over broadcast journalism. On January 21, 2026, Chair Carr released a public notice threatening to strip late-night and daytime talk shows of their longstanding exception to the equal time rule. This exception has historically applied to bona fide newscasts, news interviews, news documentaries, and on-the-spot news coverage. Carr's notice warns that are deemed to serve a political agenda or unfairly favor certain candidates may lose this protection. Carr’s FCC provides no clear standard for making such determinations. This grants the FCC — and Trump fanatic Brendan Carr — dangerous discretion to decide what constitutes political bias. The practical consequences are severe. Broadcast stations could be forced to provide free airtime to candidates they don't invite, or face delays in FCC approvals for mergers and transactions. This creates arm twisting incentive for stations to modify their coverage to meet the approval of Chair Carr and the administration. The result would be a chilling effect on broadcast journalism, with networks either avoiding campaign coverage entirely or feeling compelled to present false equivalencies where one side is demonstrably dishonest. This concern is not hypothetical. Major networks have already paid millions to settle lawsuits with the administration. CBS paid $16 million and ABC paid $15 million, demonstrating the financial pressure broadcasters face. The White House maintains a website denouncing major news outlets as enemies and Democratic propagandists, revealing the political motivation behind this regulatory threat. Congress must act through oversight hearings and new amendments to the Communications Act to prevent the FCC from becoming a censor and arbiter of free speech. These are dangerous moves by Trump lackeys, easy to spot their intent. I urge you to protect press freedom by blocking this dangerous reinterpretation with appropriate legislative action. Thank you.