Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) The Federal Communications Commission (in this section referred to as the FCC) was established as an independent agency by the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) for the purpose of regulating interstate and foreign commerce in communication by wire and radio so as to make available, so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, a rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges…. (2) Commissioners at the FCC, an independent agency, are confirmed by Congress for specified terms and the President does not have the power to remove them at will. (3) The independence of the FCC is paramount to the FCC carrying out its mission without political pressure or intimidation. (4) The FCC’s priorities and agenda must be set by the FCC without undue influence from the President or any advisors to the President who do not work for the FCC. (5) As established in section 326 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 326), nothing in the FCC’s authority shall be understood or construed to give the Commission the power of censorship over the radio communications or signals transmitted by any radio station, and no regulation or condition shall be promulgated or fixed by the Commission which shall interfere with the right of free speech by means of radio communication. (6) Investigations and threats of Commission action or inaction must not be used to suppress certain viewpoints or intimidate broadcast licensees into aligning with any political agenda.