Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent American governmental organization responsible for regulating “interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.” The mission of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is to make available, “without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, a rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.” The organization is tasked with acting in the public interest, but the confluence of political division and technological changes poses challenges for the body in the 21st century.

Early history

The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934, replacing the 1927 Radio Act. The 1934 act consolidated oversight of service carriers and content providers under one agency. Because of the scarcity of broadcast frequencies and the potential for monopolies, federal oversight was deemed necessary.

In its early years the FCC’s priority was regulating telephone carriers and profits. In the following decades, its focus expanded to include broadcast content. In 1949 the FCC introduced what became known as the fairness doctrine, to ensure that the then three major networks did not unfairly shape public opinion. The rules required licensed television and radio broadcasters to provide balanced coverage of controversial issues; broadcasters were also required to give subjects of editorial coverage the opportunity to reply.

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Although some argued that these mandates violated the First Amendment, the doctrine was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1969 case Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC. The FCC became increasingly involved in monitoring obscene or indecent content, with the agency levying fines for violations. The landmark 1978 case Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation affirmed the FCC’s right to regulate this type of content in a case involving comedian George Carlin’s profanity-laced routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.”

Sweeping changes in the 1980s

In the 1980s, under the administration of U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan, the FCC adopted sweeping deregulatory actions, culminating in the effective repeal in 1987 of the fairness doctrine (the final remaining provisions were officially removed in 2011). A much-modified and rarely invoked equal airtime provision from the original 1934 act does still exist. Since 1983 the FCC has been directed by five commissioners, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms; one is named chair. No more than three commissioners can be from the same political party.

Subsequent decades have seen the agency play a central role in managing technological transitions, from analog to digital broadcasting and the growth of the Internet and mobile communications. The FCC is the primary communications regulatory body in the United States, striving to balance the interests of private enterprise, public access, and national security. The FCC licenses individual stations, not networks, meaning that although it regulates the broadcast infrastructure, it generally does not control the content produced by national media networks themselves.

The FCC in the 21st century

When the FCC was created, it was to address a fundamental technological change in the way Americans communicated and accessed content. In the 21st century the increasingly varied methods for the distribution of content—including through social media and streaming services—has represented a seismic shift in how Americans experience that content. The FCC’s mandate does not call for the governance of those newer technologies. So, a viewer watching a broadcast or cable channel is viewing content regulated by the FCC; but if that viewer switches to, for example, Netflix or Hulu or another streaming service, that content is not governed by FCC regulations. That paradox has lead to calls for regulation that is platform agnostic, or which does not vary by how content is delivered.

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Still, the FCC plays a significant role the everyday lives of Americans. The FCC receives its funding through Congress via the House and Senate Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, with the expectation that the agency will collect equivalent amounts in regulatory fees. The agency’s 2026 budget totaled $416,112,000. Some of the goals attached to that budget include cracking down on robocalls, improving first responders’ access to emergency communication services, and improving agency efficiency.

In 2025 the FCC and its chair, Brendan Carr, made headlines for its role in political controversies. Carr, a telecommunications lawyer and former FCC general counsel, was appointed to the FCC by U.S. Pres. Donald Trump during his first term and promoted to chair in 2025.

In September Carr pressured ABC (owned by the Walt Disney Company) to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after Kimmel made comments about the political affiliation of the man accused of the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The decision to suspend the show was met with public backlash and a widespread boycott of Disney-owned streaming services that saw millions of customers cancel. The show was soon back on the air, but the saga ignited debates about government interference of the media and free speech in broadcast licensing. Carr also reopened investigations into alleged bias in programming in 2024 at ABC, NBC, and CBS, particularly as it related to presidential election coverage, under, among other reasons, the original equal airtime mandate. In addition, he began investigations into PBS and NPR.

The FCC continued to be heavily involved in politics in 2026 when it launched an investigation into whether the talk show The View, violated the equal time provisions of the Communications Act by having Democratic Texas legislator and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico as a guest. The FCC’s equal time regulation calls for candidates for public office to be granted equal amounts of airtime to promote themselves and their policies. Typically talk shows, which are deemed to be entertainment, have been exempted from this rule. As noted earlier, cable and streaming programs are not subject to FCC regulations.

Shortly after his appearance on The View, Talarico was to appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but that appearance was canceled when CBS, the network which airs Colbert’s show, warned Colbert that if Talarico appeared, he would need to give equal time to other candidates. Instead Colbert posted the interview on YouTube.

The FCC continued its pressure campaign on ABC by launching an early review of FCC licenses for eight local stations owned by ABC. Such a review is extremely rare. ABC has strenously objected to the review, which could result in the stations losing their licenses, calling it “attempted censorship.” The FCC said in April it would review the licenses based on the stations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. The stations’ licenses are not up for renewal until 2028. The FCC said in a statement: “Broadcasters know that they are prohibited from engaging in invidious forms of DEI discrimination. … The FCC is going to hold broadcasters accountable to the full extent of the law. Public response to review was overwhelming with more than 150,000 comments submitted to the FCC website, most in support of ABC.

In August 2026, ABC took the unusual step of suing the FCC in federal court, charging that the FCC’s actions were an infringement of ABC’s First Amendment rights.