Government & Communications

Agencies across the federal government are explicitly blaming Democrats for the government shutdown—from banners on top of public websites to suggested out-of-office messages for federal employees—in an unusually overt show of partisan messaging that some ethics experts say may violate federal law.

At the end of a fireside chat, Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez warned the cable industry and US citizens about the pattern of censorship and the corrosive power of the Trump administration. "This administration has engaged in this campaign to bring all broadcasters to heel. And really it affects cable in addition to that, it affects broadcasters, because some of the targets are, in fact, themselves, cable companies," said Commissioner Gomez. "And I think it should concern everyone.

The Department of Commerce immediately suspended regular agency operations. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will continue to perform critical activities during a lapse in appropriations: 1) managing the federal use of spectrum; and 2) promoting the stability and security of the Internet’s domain name system. During a lapse in appropriations, NTIA requires continuous and frequent engagement with defense and emergency management agencies to execute its role as the manager of federal spectrum.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr was blasted as a “censorship czar” by protesters, who disturbed the FCC’s open meeting before being escorted out by security. The open meeting was the FCC’s first one since the multi-day suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from his ABC late night show—which came about after Chairman Carr publicly

The Federal Communications Commission began to suspend  most operations effective 12:00:01 a.m. EDT on October 1, 2025.  During a suspension of normal operations, some public-facing filing systems and databases will remain available while others will not. 

On September 25, 2025, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr wrote to Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) regarding the decision by local TV stations to preempt Disney’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Disney’s decision to suspend temporarily production of that program. Chairman Carr said, "the claim by some that the FCC threatened to revoke broadcast licenses if Disney did not fire Jimmy Kimmel is simply incorrect.

The U.S. cable industry plays a vital role in the country’s communications infrastructure. In 2024, it delivered 59% of all fixed internet connections, serving 80 million broadband subscribers nationwide.

The Government Accountability Office's (GAO) “Broadband Programs: Agencies Need to Further Improve Their Data Quality and Coordination Efforts.” (Report No.

The recent blowup over Jimmy Kimmel is driven by a lot of powerful currents in American life—grief, politics, business, freedom of speech.

The Supreme Court allowed President Trump to fire a leader of the Federal Trade Commission, setting up a court battle over a 90-year-old limit on executive power over independent agencies. In an emergency order, a divided court announced that it would allow President Trump, for now, to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, and that it would hear argument in the case in December.