FCC Fines and Enforcement Actions
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regularly issues fines for violations such as unauthorized broadcasting (pirate radio), equipment marketing violations, and robocall abuses.
- Recent enforcement actions include a $40,000 fine for PIRATE Act violations and settlements with major companies like T-Mobile for equipment marketing issues.
- The FCC also issues cease-and-desist letters to companies involved in illegal robocalls and takes action against property owners hosting unauthorized radio stations.
Revoking Broadcast Licenses
- In 2025, President Trump publicly suggested that the FCC should revoke the licenses of TV broadcasters who provide negative coverage of him or conservative figures, specifically after ABC pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following comments about Charlie Kirk.
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr was mentioned as the official who could act on such revocations, but the FCC has not actually revoked any major network licenses for content reasons.
- Legal and free speech experts, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), have criticized these threats as attempts to control public discourse and undermine free expression.
Key Points
- The FCC has the authority to fine and, in rare cases, revoke licenses for violations of federal communications law, but content-based revocations are highly controversial and face significant legal hurdles.
- Most recent FCC actions focus on technical and legal violations, not on the content of broadcasts.
Sources
- FCC Enforcement Actions
- NBC News: Trump suggests FCC could revoke licenses of TV broadcasters
- Global News: Trump suggests pulling licenses if broadcasters give him ‘bad publicity’
- New York Times: Trump Has Threatened Broadcast Licenses. Here’s How the FCC Works
- FIRE: Statement on FCC threat to revoke ABC broadcast license
Information current as of September 20, 2025.