On Tuesday, a passionate group of protesters confronted FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, asserting their right to free speech. This event unfolded at the first open meeting of the Federal Communications Commission since Carr’s controversial push for ABC stations to halt airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this month.
Our Revolution, a political action committee formed by Bernie Sanders in 2016, spearheaded this demonstration. An email circulated that morning indicated a chorus of voices from Our Revolution, alongside Public Citizen and Free Press, united in a call for Carr’s resignation. Their concerns centered on Carr’s alleged role in supporting Trump’s censorship, advancing dangerous media consolidation, and catering to wealthy elites.
According to the email, “Carr has aligned himself with corporate power players like the Ellisons and Murdochs, creating monopolies that dampen independent voices and threat democracy.” Activists resolved to directly challenge Carr at the meeting, raising their concerns loud and clear.
After the protest, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Our Revolution’s political director Paco Fabian. He was among two individuals removed from the FCC meeting for chanting just a bit too vocally, insisting, “Fire Carr, the censorship czar!”
Our Revolution boasts around eight million members, but only about a dozen showed up that morning. Fabian acknowledged the short notice for the event and mentioned that many activists were also involved in other protests concerning the government shutdown happening concurrently.
“We simply exercised our free speech to tell Carr he can’t wield intimidation as FCC chair,” Fabian explained. He noted that he sensed the FCC was somewhat apprehensive about potential disruptions. He mentioned that their organization heard they practiced security measures in preparation and brought in extra security for the meeting that day.
“They’re not fools. They’re aware of the controversy surrounding their boss since the last public meeting, so they braced for something to transpire,” Fabian added.
The group is also worried about ongoing media consolidation, citing the proposed merger of Nexstar with Tegna.
“I can’t claim to know the exact thoughts of Brendan Carr or his discussions,” Fabian stated, “but given this administration’s trend toward a pay-to-play operation, it’s not surprising Nexstar might choose to pull Kimmel from their lineup to stay in the administration’s good graces as they seek to push the merger through.”
Despite their protest, Carr merely remained seated, showing no emotional reaction to the signs and chants. Eventually, Fabian and another activist were removed for being the loudest, yet their exit was smooth—no arrests were made, they were just asked not to come back.
Our Revolution shared video footage of the demonstration with The Hollywood Reporter:
