FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Launches Investigation into NPR and PBS

The individuals who support Donald Trump and write his policies have made it clear that they aim to dismantle public media. Now, Trump’s FCC Chair, Brendan Carr, has sent a letter to public broadcasters NPR and PBS stating that he plans to investigate them for potentially violating federal law. In the same letter, he made it evident that he personally believes they should not receive public funding.

Carr’s Investigation Focuses on Corporate Sponsorships

Carr’s letter revolves around public media’s long-standing practice of being underwritten by corporate sponsorships. Carr claims that these sponsors may be receiving inappropriate promotions from the networks that resemble advertisements. NPR and PBS, which are technically noncommercial educational broadcast stations (or NCEs), are federally prohibited from airing commercials. Thus, Carr has authorized a probe into both media organizations by the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau.

Concerns Over Commercial Advertisements

"I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials," Carr said in a letter sent to the broadcasters and reported by the New York Times. "In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements," he said.

Relevance to Congressional Debate

"For your awareness, I will be providing a copy of this letter to relevant Members of Congress because I believe this FCC investigation may prove relevant to an ongoing legislative debate," Carr continues. "In particular, Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming."

Carr’s Personal Stance on Public Funding

"For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967," he added.

NPR’s Response to the Investigation

When reached for comment by the Times, NPR’s top executive, Katherine Maher, said that NPR complies with federal regulations. "We are confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR’s adherence to these rules," Maher told the newspaper. "We have worked for decades with the F.C.C. in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who provide essential information, educational programming, and emergency alerts to local communities across the United States."

Carr’s Criticism: A Technical Perspective

Carr’s criticism is more technical than what other right-wing critics of public broadcasting have said. For example, Elon Musk has claimed that NPR and other public broadcasters are "state" propaganda, on par with those from Russia or China. However, Carr is saying the opposite: according to him, NPR is actually a commercial entity that is non-commercial "in name only."

Concerns Over Trump Administration’s Allegations

Carr’s allegation is an incredibly ballsy one coming from someone working for the new Trump administration, which already appears to be violating federal laws left, right, and center, and may be engaging in criminal activity on a massive scale.