Diversity

The Federal Communications Commission has considered four aspects of diversity: 1) Viewpoint diversity ensures that the public has access to a wide range of diverse and antagonistic opinions and interpretations provided by opportunities for varied groups, entities and individuals to participate in the different phases of the broadcast industry; 2) Outlet diversity is the control of media outlets by a variety of independent owners; 3) Source diversity ensures that the public has access to information and programming from multiple content providers; and 4) Program diversity refers to a variety of programming formats and content.

The Joint Center Looks at How the Law that Created the Internet Impacts Black Communities

Some longtime readers may recall that Al Gore created the internet. Although they also know that some credit should be shared with Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The "law that created the internet" generally immunizes online platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, and Uber from liability for third-party user content (e.g., posts, comments, videos) and for the moderation of that content. The law has long been discussed as both a protector of free speech and an enabler of platform abuse.

President Trump Seeks to Strip Away Legal Tool Key to Civil Rights Enforcement

President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to abandon the use of a longstanding legal tool used to root out discrimination against minorities, a move that could defang the nation’s bedrock civil rights law.

The LBTQ+ Archive Launches

Nonprofit research organization LGBT Tech launched the LGBTQ+ Archive, a living, community-informed project created to preserve and make accessible federal LGBTQ+ resources that have quietly disappeared from public websites in recent months. This site is an independent effort to preserve and make accessible the critical information and resources for LGBTQ+ health, legal rights, and safety originally hosted on now-defunct federal websites.

How Brendan Carr, Trump’s FCC chair, is rattling media giants

A look at Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr's dramatic transformation from a low-key communications policy wonk into one of Trump’s staunchest cultural warriors. Since becoming FCC chairman in late January, Carr has repeatedly poked the corporate owners of ABC, CBS and NBC — networks the president dislikes. In 2024, Donald Trump sued CBS over edits to a pre-election “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump has demanded $20 billion, alleging the interview was doctored to make Harris look better. CBS should lose its licenses, Trump has said.

Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy

It is the policy of the United States to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in all contexts to the maximum degree possible to avoid violating the Constitution, Federal civil rights laws, and basic American ideals. Given the limited enforcement resources of executive departments and agencies (agencies), the unlawfulness of disparate-impact liability, and the policy of this order, all agencies shall deprioritize enforcement of all statutes and regulations to the extent they include disparate-impact liability. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General, in coor

The Implications of Section 230 for Black Communities

The first brief explains how  Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act influences the digital landscape for Black users. While Section 230 has helped foster free expression and innovation online, it also creates gaps in accountability — enabling the spread of harmful and discriminatory content with limited consequences for platforms.

Senators Have Questions; Roth Has...Answers

On March 27, 2025, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing to consider the confirmation of Arielle Roth, President Donald Trump's nominee for Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary and head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Roth would oversee $48.2 billion in broadband infrastructure and adoption funding Congress allocated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Broadband Divide in the US Is Not Color Blind

Millions of Black Americans have been impacted by the digital divide, the gulf between people who have access to any internet at all and those who don't.

Let's Control-Alt-Delete on Delete, Delete, Delete

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Brendan Carr, recently launched his own proceeding he calls “IN RE: DELETE, DELETE, DELETE.” Carr says he’s following Trump’s orders to deregulate the telecommunications industry to spur economic prosperity.

House Commerce Committee Democrats Launch Investigation into FCC Chairman Carr’s Repeated Attacks on the First Amendment

House Commerce Committee Democrats launched an investigation into Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s attacks on the First Amendment and his weaponization of the independent agency.