FCC Democrat Urges Broadcasters to Resist Midterm Pressure
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez asked the National Association of Broadcasters to push back harder on administration pressure ahead of the November 3 midterms.
The story in focus
Al Jazeera reports that FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the agency's sole Democratic member, sent a letter to the National Association of Broadcasters urging a stronger response to administration pressure on stations before the November 3 midterms, citing Republican Chairman Brendan Carr's warning about airing fake polls.
- Gomez is the FCC's only Democratic commissioner
- Her four-page letter went to NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt on Thursday
- Carr's social media post warned stations about news distortion and broadcast hoaxes
- Gomez said polling coverage does not meet the FCC's evidentiary bar
- The FCC did not answer Al Jazeera's request to identify the polls or outlets
The letter and its request
Al Jazeera reported on October 23 that Anna Gomez, the sole Democratic member of the US Federal Communications Commission, sent a four-page letter to National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt on Thursday. She asked the industry group to intensify its response to pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump on major news networks and broadcast stations ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
In the letter, Gomez said the volume of the industry's response had not matched the scale of what NAB members face. She framed the request as part of her duties as a commissioner rather than as a formal enforcement action.
Carr's warning and the FCC standard
Gomez pointed to a recent post on X by Trump-appointed Chairman Brendan Carr, who said broadcasters airing what he called entirely fake polls could face scrutiny over news distortions or broadcast hoaxes. Carr advised broadcasters to avoid those practices, but his post did not identify specific polls or outlets. Al Jazeera said it asked the FCC for clarity and the agency did not address the inquiry.
Gomez wrote that the FCC's news distortion standard applies only when a broadcaster knowingly airs false information about a crime or catastrophe that directly causes immediate and substantial harm to public safety or property. She said reporting a poll the administration dislikes does not come close to meeting that bar. Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation criticized Carr's comments in a statement to Al Jazeera.
What did Gomez ask the broadcasters' association to do?
She asked the National Association of Broadcasters to ramp up its response to administration pressure on networks and stations before the November 3 midterms.
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