Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said the agency could shorten the timetable for reviewing broadcast television station licenses and that a full range of enforcement options remains available as investigations into several broadcasters proceed.
"You can do early renewals," Carr said, reiterating that accelerating the review schedule is a tool the FCC can use. He added that the commission has an array of active inquiries into multiple broadcasters, naming NBC, ABC, PBS and NPR as entities subject to those probes.
When asked whether any pending investigations could lead to revocation of licenses held by broadcast stations, Carr responded that such an outcome was possible. "All of that stuff is on the table," he said, and suggested that the prospect of license loss could incentivize broadcasters to reorient operations toward the public interest. He framed that possibility as potentially beneficial over the long term, saying it would "really help broadcasters reorient their operations to the public interest."
The FCC issues licenses for individual broadcast stations on an eight-year cycle. According to the agency's publicly available schedule, the next set of broadcast license renewals is slated for October 2028. Carr said, however, that the commission could bring those reviews forward. "The licenses could come up earlier than 2028," he said. "Maybe we would, maybe we wouldn’t. They could."
Carr's statements come amid continued public pressure from President Donald Trump, who has urged the FCC to revoke licenses for certain NBC and ABC stations. Trump said on social media that he was "thrilled" about Carr's review of licenses held by some media companies, reflecting alignment between the White House and the FCC chair's stated willingness to use the agency's enforcement tools.
Questions remain about whether the FCC will formally change its renewal schedule and how any expedited reviews, or potential revocations, would proceed in practice. Carr indicated a range of options is available but did not commit to specific actions or timelines beyond noting the possibility that license review dates could be moved forward from their current schedule.
Context limitations: The chair outlined possible actions and ongoing investigations but did not provide details on timelines, specific findings, or formal enforcement steps.