Friend,

Earlier this fall, after we successfully rallied to get Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on the air, we asked for your help to bring FCC Chairman Brendan Carr before Congress for an oversight hearing. I’m pleased to report that our efforts to see some accountability for Trump’s censorship czar are starting to pay off.

During a Wednesday Senate oversight hearing, the FCC chairman faced a thorough grilling from Commerce Committee Democrats — and even some Republicans — about his campaign to censor and control media content that Trump dislikes. Heck, even Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R–Texas) called Carr’s actions “unconstitutional coercion.”

Securing this bipartisan oversight hearing was a win, and it’s clear that putting Brendan Carr in the spotlight gives him a chance to keep running his mouth and ruining his reputation. It doesn’t end here: We’ll continue our efforts to demand full accountability for his reckless handling of a once-proud independent watchdog agency.

Out of all of Carr’s many fast-talking lies and bullying barbs in Wednesday’s hearing, one chilling moment stands out: his claim that the Commission serves Trump above all else. “The FCC is not an independent agency,” he said, despite clear language on its website that described the FCC as such.

Shortly after senators pointed out the contradiction between Carr’s vision of the agency and the public-facing mission statement, all language noting the agency’s independence was wiped from the FCC.gov website.¹ Trump and Carr keep trying to rewrite reality — in front of our very eyes — to reshape this nation into their vision of an authoritarian nightmare.

Let me be clear: Brendan Carr’s FCC ditched decades of independence in service to a wannabe dictator, but Free Press Action takes our independence much more seriously.

We’ll never take a penny from any of the tech oligarchs and corporate powers that have bought up influence in the halls of power. We’re working to build a media system of, by and for the people — not one that serves the wealthy few. Can we count on your support so that our momentum stays strong into the new year and beyond?

Thank you so much,

Tim and the rest of us at Free Press Action

P.S. We have less than two weeks left to reach our ambitious fundraising goals for 2025. Please chip in if you can.

1. “FCC Scrubs Its Website of Any Hint It’s an Independent Agency,” The New Republic, Dec. 17, 2025