By Morgan Wilsmann
December 5, 2025
On the evening of December 3, the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) held its 37th Annual Dinner, hosting more than 1,500 telecommunications and technology policy professionals – including some of Public Knowledge’s own staff. As in years past, the Federal Communications Commission chair is a featured speaker, and many FCC staffers, including its commissioners, attend the dinner.
Public Knowledge staff who normally attend the dinner asserted that attending this year felt different. The FCBA dinner is, at least partly, intended to raise money to provide college scholarships to students – an important cause to ensure a robust pipeline of quality graduates find their way into the tech policy space (including to organizations like Public Knowledge). But it also gives the FCC chair a platform for a speech in the form of a comedic set.
At a time when Chairman Brendan Carr has been using regulatory power to silence President Trump’s critics and reward his allies, including attacks on Jimmy Kimmel (which temporarily forced the comedian’s show off the air in September) and new attacks on Seth Meyers, another late-night comedian, just last month, we bristled at the idea of Chairman Carr using his right to free speech in a standup performance while bullying comedians for doing the same. Chairman Carr has not hesitated to publicly threaten to punish media who step “out of line” by revoking their broadcast licenses.
Chairman Carr’s threats clearly weaponize the agency against media who disagree with the Trump administration – and they also clearly strike at the First Amendment protection of free speech and a free press. For this reason, Public Knowledge joined with Free Press and TechFreedom to ask attendees to wear a “Federal Censorship Commission” pin and to open dialogue with fellow attendees about the FCC’s censorship efforts under Chairman Carr’s leadership. Outside the event, we projected onto the building directly across the street from the dinner entrance a call to action: Tell FCC To Serve the Public, Resist Censorship, and Uphold the First Amendment.
Our message is clear: The FCC should serve the public – not the president. You can learn more about how our First Amendment rights are under attack by the Trump administration and urge Congress to conduct oversight hearings of the FCC and other independent agencies today.
