WASHINGTON—FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has announced that she is partnering with consumer and civil society organizations to launch a “First Amendment Tour” of events to challenge government censorship and control.
“Since the founding of our country, the First Amendment has protected our fundamental right to speak freely and hold power to account,“ Gomez said. “Today, the greatest threat to that freedom is coming from our own government. Silencing dissenting voices is not a show of strength—it’s a sign of fear. We must continue to speak out against this growing campaign of censorship and control before this dangerous new normal becomes the status quo.”
To announce the effort, Gomez issued a press release arguing that over the last few months, actions across the federal government have demonstrated an alarming pattern of silencing dissenting voices, including in the media and telecommunications sector.
The release specifically singled out the Federal Communications Commission for criticism: “From investigating broadcasters for editorial decisions in their newsrooms, to harassing private companies for their fair hiring practices, to threatening tech companies that respond to consumer demand for fact-checking tools, the FCC’s actions have focused on weaponizing the agency’s authority to silence critics,” she said.
TV Tech’s extensive coverage of those issues can be found here.
Gomez has previously attacked the current FCC leadership on numerous occasions for launching “news distortion” investigations into broadcast TV news coverage that was critical of President Donald Trump. At NAB Show earlier this month, she complained that the FCC had strayed from its core mission and criticized FCC investigations into public media, DEI and broadcast TV stations.
The press release issued by Gomez’s office reported that these events will provide a forum where the commissioner can engage with "stakeholders and the public on the various ways the FCC is being weaponized to attack freedom of speech in the media and telecommunications sector instead of focusing on its core mission – connecting the public, protecting consumers, and supporting competition.”
The events will be open to the public and/or livestreamed where possible.
The first event will be hosted by the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 24. “Who Will Fight for the First Amendment? Protecting Free Expression at a Critical Time” is set for 2 to 3 p.m. ET.
Interested parties can register to join via Zoom here.
Panelists will include:
- Anna M. Gomez, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
- ·Alexandra Givens, President and CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology
- Kate Tummarello, Executive Director, Engine
- Alex Abdo, Litigation Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
- Sara Oates, Associate Dean for Research and Professor, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland
