Springfield Standard

Senator Eric Schmitt, alongside Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), has called on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to withdraw a proposal they argue infringes on free political speech. The senators assert that the FCC lacks the authority to regulate political advertising content and warn that such measures could impose undue burdens on local broadcasters and cable companies.

In their letter, the senators state: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has no authority to police the content of political advertising and any attempt to do so raises serious statutory and constitutional concerns.” They further argue that the FCC's claim of having a public interest obligation to protect against false or misleading programming is unfounded. "This falsely suggests that the FCC has broad authority to act as an arbiter of true and false speech," wrote the senators.

The letter emphasizes that the FCC should focus on its designated responsibilities, which include ensuring basic recordkeeping requirements without interfering in political discourse or showing preference for certain types of political advertising.

The senators also highlight concerns about the independence of the FCC, stating: “Congress conferred independence on the FCC so that it would be free from the control exercised by the president over the Executive Branch. And independent agencies were certainly never meant to serve as instruments for advancing the agendas of presidential campaigns or national committees.”

They conclude by criticizing what they see as alignment between Rosenworcel’s proposal and broader Democratic Party objectives, particularly those related to regulating AI-generated political speech before upcoming elections. "It is unfortunate that the FCC is behaving less like an independent commission accountable to Congress, and more as a de facto arm of the Biden campaign,” concludes their letter.

For further details, readers can access the full letter online.