When Laws and Politics Clash: A Senate Hearing Gets Heated

A recent Senate hearing turned into an unexpected showdown between FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Senator Jacky Rosen. The event was supposed to be about media regulation, but it quickly became a lesson in basic media law. Carr, who leads the FCC, has been busy lately. His agency is looking into big media companies like ABC, CBS, and NBC. They are checking things like election coverage and even interviews, like one with Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes. Carr is also looking into Comcast/NBCUniversal's diversity policies to see if they follow the rules.But Senator Rosen had other ideas. She tried to put Carr on the spot about Fox News. She wanted to know why the FCC wasn't investigating Fox for editing a video clip. Carr's answer was simple: "No. " That's because Fox News is on cable, not broadcast TV. The FCC doesn't have the power to regulate cable news. Rosen didn't let it go. She kept pushing, asking why one edit was okay and another wasn't. Carr explained it again: the law. The FCC can only regulate broadcast TV and radio, not cable. Cable networks like Fox News use private systems, not public airwaves. Rosen tried to argue that there should be a fairness rule for cable too. But Carr pointed out that no such rule exists. With no answer, Rosen quickly moved on to another topic. It was a clear win for Carr and a lesson in media law for the Senate.