On the evening of December 3, the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) held its 37th Annual Dinner, hosting more than 1,500 telecommunications and technology policy professionals \u2013 including some of Public Knowledge\u2019s own staff. As in years past, the Federal Communications Commission chair is a featured speaker, and many FCC staffers, including its commissioners, attend the dinner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public Knowledge staff who normally attend the dinner asserted that attending this year felt different. The FCBA dinner is, at least partly, intended to raise money to provide college scholarships to students \u2013 an important cause to ensure a robust pipeline of quality graduates find their way into the tech policy space (including to organizations like Public Knowledge). But it also gives the FCC chair a platform for a speech in the form of a comedic set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a time when Chairman Brendan Carr has been using regulatory power to silence President Trump\u2019s critics and reward his allies, including attacks on Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> (which temporarily forced the comedian\u2019s show off the air in September) and new attacks on Seth Meyers<\/a>, another late-night comedian, just last month, we bristled at the idea of Chairman Carr using his right to free speech in a standup performance while bullying comedians for doing the same. Chairman Carr has not hesitated to publicly threaten to punish media<\/a> who step \u201cout of line\u201d by revoking their broadcast licenses.
Chairman Carr\u2019s threats clearly weaponize the agency against media who disagree with the Trump administration \u2013 and they also clearly strike at the First Amendment protection of free speech and a free press<\/a>. For this reason, Public Knowledge joined with Free Press<\/a> and TechFreedom<\/a> to ask attendees to wear a \u201cFederal Censorship Commission\u201d pin and to open dialogue with fellow attendees about the FCC\u2019s censorship efforts under Chairman Carr\u2019s leadership. Outside the event, we projected onto the building directly across the street from the dinner entrance a call to action: Tell FCC To Serve the Public, Resist Censorship, and Uphold the First Amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n