In the Name of the First Amendment, Trump's FCC Attacks Its Principles

As former chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)—one appointed by a Democrat, the other by a Republican—we have seen firsthand how the agency operates when it is guided by its mission to uphold the public interest. But in just over two months, President Donald Trump and his handpicked FCC Chair Brendan Carr have upended 90 years of precedent and congressional mandates to transform the agency into a blatantly partisan tool. Instead of acting as an independent regulator, the FCC is being weaponized for political retribution under the guise of protecting the First Amendment. Trump and Carr's actions fall into two categories. First, the president used executive orders (EOs) to strip the agency of its independence, making it subservient to the White House. Second, the chairman has exploited the commission's powers to undermine the very First Amendment rights it is supposed to uphold. Using vague government policy as a tool of political coercion is a tactic historically associated with authoritarian regimes. It is now up to Chairman Carr to prevent such abuse by clearly defining his construction of the public interest standard and its relationship to the First Amendment.

Tom Wheeler is a former Democratic FCC chair appointed by former President Barack Obama. Al Sikes is a former Republican FCC chair appointed by former President George H.W. Bush.