FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez on Agency Weaponization & The Future of Shortwave Radio

FCC Commissioner's Concerns

• ⚠️ FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez expresses alarm over the weaponization of the agency, citing investigations into broadcasters for editorial decisions and hiring practices.
• 🏛️ Actions are being taken at the staff level, bypassing commissioner votes, which Gomez argues undermines the agency's structure and the possibility of review.
• 🚫 The approval of a $20 billion Verizon merger, contingent on ending DEI programs, is highlighted as an example of the FCC overstepping its bounds by demanding companies eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
• 📢 Gomez asserts that the FCC lacks the legal authority to target DEI practices and warns that capitulation breeds capitulation, encouraging companies to push back.

First Amendment Under Assault

• ⚖️ The lawsuit filed by NPR and Colorado public radio stations against the Trump administration is presented as a violation of the First Amendment, stemming from accusations of bias and executive orders to defund public broadcasting.
• 📰 Investigations into CBS for alleged