# Cato Institute: FCC’s Carr Overstepping on CNN Represents Broader Threat to Broadcasters 

Recent comments from the Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Brendan Carr, called for “accountability” and a “change at CNN” after disagreements over CNN’s coverage of the Iran War.

April 9, 2026 • News Releases 

Recent comments from the Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Brendan Carr, called for “accountability” and a “change at CNN” after disagreements over CNN’s coverage of the Iran War.

A recent [blog post](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:*2F*2Fwww.cato.org*2Fblog*2Fwhy-fcc-shouldnt-have-power-threaten-cnn/1/0100019d72846740-f27e7e93-5544-41d0-8169-3e8f3ed2d85d-000000/qiVJxze0K4Afn2GY2fFIPCSAVfY=473___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOjE3OGQxZTBiODhmMmRkMDI5ZDczZjc4YmViMWJiN2M3Ojc6YWNlMjozMjg0MTg5MjZiZjQyZDcwOWQ5ODZjYjEzYmM3ZDQ1YTg1NjBmNDhlNmYwZDQyZjQ3OTQ5NzY3ZGI0MDMyZWJmOmg6VDpO) from [Brent Skorup](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:*2F*2Fwww.cato.org*2Fpeople*2Fbrent-skorup/1/0100019d72846740-f27e7e93-5544-41d0-8169-3e8f3ed2d85d-000000/4h6OQv1v21wJh1JwHc-apXRtu10=473___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOjE3OGQxZTBiODhmMmRkMDI5ZDczZjc4YmViMWJiN2M3Ojc6MDAzMTphN2Y0YjA3NTNhMzgzMDlkYjRmYzQwZDE5NTJjNjliYmZhNmZkZjYwMjI2M2EzNGIyMjIwMWI5MDZlNDE1MDc0Omg6VDpO), a legal fellow in the Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, details the need to restore the First Amendment rights of broadcasters, writing in part:

> *“The solution is not to wait for more restrained regulators. The real fix is structural: Congress should strip the FCC of the vague public interest authority that makes these threats possible, or the Supreme Court should revive the nondelegation doctrine and restore the First Amendment rights of broadcasters that NBC v. United States diminished eight decades ago.”*

To speak with Skorup on Chairman Carr’s comments, contact [Christopher Tarvardian](mailto:ctarvardian@cato.org).

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