Project 2025: Expand the hell out of FCC oversight

[RobDownSouth]

Project 2025, despite Trump insisting that he had NOTHING to do with it, is rapidly becoming the blueprint for the second Trump regime. This should be obvious to anyone with an IQ higher than room temperature (sorry AceDesSpades, WatTyler, and Ultrachad).

The constant howls of "dismantle this agency, dismantle that agency" drowns out most discussion about the ONE agency that MAGA wants to EXPAND THE HELL OUT OF: The Federal Communications Commission.

The chapter in Project 2025 dealing with the FCC was written by an ideological zealot name Brendan Carr. Guess who Tangerine Palpatine nominated to be the new chairman of the FCC? If you said Brendan Carr, you get a cookie.

Exactly why is Brendan Carr so bad? Let me explain.

The power of the FCC has been dwindling each year. The FCC regulates the nation's airwaves, parceling out by auction valuable radio spectrums for radio and broadcast signals.

The problem? Airwaves become increasingly irrelevant as the years pass, the majority of Muricans use something called "the Internet" now, with streaming services making airwaves increasingly obsolete. The FCC has had exactly TWO "moments in the sun" in the past two decades: the 1/2 second peek at Janet Jackson's pierced nipple at the halftime show on February 4, 2004 and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris surprise appearance on the live broadcast of Saturday Night Live on November 2, 2024, the latter caused the demented Mango Mussolini to yell for "equal time" which he got the following day at some stupid NASCAR race live broadcast.

The "Fairness Doctrine" is dead and buried, it only applied to public airwaves and not to internet podcasts or streams.

It's not coming back.

What's an authoritarian to do?

The Trump administration seems hellbent on re-interpreting the 26 words that make up the "safe harbor" provision of the infamous Section 230 section that largely holds platform providers harmless for the content that their users post. Both Congress AND more noticeably the conservate Supreme Court have beaten back dozens of attempts to modify Section 230 over the past two decades, something about "free speech" and all that nonsense.

So the Trump administration, via Brendan Carr, is attempting to assert the "right" of the Executive Branch to reinterpret Section 230 as it seems fit, and find an extralegal way to hold platforms accountable for the content of their users, not subject to legislative and/or judicial review.

The biggest immediate change would be the eradication of YouTube. Google owns YouTube and YouTube would vanish overnight should Google become liable for the content of its content creators.

Closer to "home", the politics board would disappear from Literotica forever the first time @AceDesSpades goes on one of his increasingly frequent racist rants, or ammosexual @Wat_Tyler celebrates the next school massacre, or @UltraChad and/or @HisArpy engage in one of their daily misogynistic jihads. Their rancid hate speech would open the doors to Manu and Laurel being liable for their behavior.

The Supreme Court has declared time and time again there is no legal remedy in Section 230 for things like the popularity of podcasts, there is no need to balance the reach of, say, Joe Rogan with some sort of liberal podcast. The remedy is competition as there is no barrier to entry, anyone with a microphone can create their own podcast.

The ultimate goal of the Trumpist authoritarians is to wield a crude cudgel to bludgeon "free speech" that doesn't coincide with their policy direction. We see this more and more, specifically the appeal of Elon Musk's increasingly authoritarian "X" platform. Musk has chosen to force-feed his enormous user base a steadily increasing diet of authoritarian-friendly pablum, with increasingly dollops of crypto-Nazi propaganda via his infamous "algorithm".

What "administrative fiat control over the internet" would mean is basically government oversight of large platform "algorithms", the "recommended for you" feeds that are shown by default to each platform user. Platform users are increasingly aware that they are being "led by the nose" on most social media plaforms (Facebook, Threads, YouTube and Twitter the most prominent examples) and many are opting for the burgeoning number of sites that purport to be "algorithm free" (Hello Bluesky!).

The adoption of algorithm-free platforms poses an existential threat to the delivery of authoritarian-friendly commentary necessary to ensure the grudging acceptance of the new authoritarian agenda.

The Trumpers simply want to punish their enemies (specifically "Elon Musk's enemies") with carefully worded proclamations about the "necessity" of Americans to see "all sides" of an argument via algorithm oversite, which is a dogwhistle of course to cram their toxic agenda down everyone's throats.



And Brenda Carr is the guy who wants to make this happen.


https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/brendan-carr-trump-fcc-elon-musk-rcna180650
https://www.axios.com/2024/11/18/brendan-carr-trump-fcc-chair
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaig...o-lead-the-fcc-poses-a-threat-to-free-speech/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-fcc-brendan-carr-project-2025-what-to-know/
https://fortune.com/2024/11/19/trum...230-meta-facebook-instagram-tiktok-x-youtube/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/01/trump-fcc-media-crackdown/
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/18/media/brendan-carr-trump-fcc-nominee-project-2025/index.html

 

[lessOHmo]

Stfu, loser

 

[UltraChad]

The ultimate goal of the Trumpist authoritarians is to wield a crude cudgel to bludgeon "free speech" that doesn't coincide with their policy direction. We see this more and more, specifically the appeal of Elon Musk's increasingly authoritarian "X" platform.

I love how "free speech" is re-defined as speech progressive leftist approve of and "authoritarian" is redefined as not shitting on people who progressive leftist hate.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

Now that RDS has provided his spin, here’s what Brendan Carr actually wrote. Full chapter linked below. Key paragraph on Section 230 attached.

https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_CHAPTER-28.pdf

 

[Politruk]

Now that RDS has provided his spin, here’s what Brendan Carr actually wrote. Full chapter linked below. Key paragraph on Section 230 attached.

https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_CHAPTER-28.pdf

That really does say:

Eliminate immunities that courts added to Section 230. The FCCshould issue an order that interprets Section 230 in a way that eliminates the expansive, non-textual immunities that courts have read into the statute.—

As one of the FCC’s previous General Counsels noted, the FCC has authorityto take this action because Section 230 is codified in the CommunicationsAct.16 The FCC’s Section 230 reforms should track the positions outlinedin a July 2020 Petition for Rulemaking filed at the FCC near the end ofthe Trump Administration.17 Any new presidential Administration shouldconsider filing a similar or new petition.As Justice Clarence Thomas has made clear, courts have construed Section230 broadly to confer on some of the world’s largest companies a sweepingimmunity that is found nowhere in the text of the statute.18 They have doneso in a way that nullifies the limits Congress placed on the types of actionsthat Internet companies can take while continuing to benefit from Section230. One way to start correcting this error is for the FCC to remind courtshow the various portions of Section 230 operate.

 

[MajorRewrite]

Trump’s pick to run FCC is an ominous sign for Big Tech

The country’s tech titans might need to start fortifying defenses against the agenda of incoming Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr.

Carr made that clear in the hour after Trump announced his ascension to the FCC chairmanship seat last month.

"We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans," Carr said on X, the social media platform.

The “censorship” that Carr is concerned about is any restriction on right wing disinformation and lunacy.

 

[UltraChad]

Trump’s pick to run FCC is an ominous sign for Big Tech



The “censorship” that Carr is concerned about is any restriction on right wing disinformation and lunacy.

Yes because censorship...and it is censorship.....is un-American, just like you and the other (D)emocrats.

"right wing disinformation and lunacy" is just a smear against things you don't like to hear and are protected free speech.

 

[subdudeme13]

I am not sure what the end result of Trump will be. I look at his history and it says disaster. I suspect we are headed for another depression.

 

[UltraChad]

I am not sure what the end result of Trump will be. I look at his history and it says disaster. I suspect we are headed for another depression.

One of the most successful people in history....says disaster to you??

I'm guessing you can't tell if this is a woman or not.

I mean, you're not a biologist right???

 

[MajorRewrite]

Yes because censorship...and it is censorship.....is un-American, just like you and the other (D)emocrats.

"right wing disinformation and lunacy" is just a smear against things you don't like to hear and are protected free speech.

It has nothing to do with free speech. Private businesses have the right to remove customers who act like idiots.

You’ve experienced that on this website so you ought to understand.

 

[UltraChad]

It has nothing to do with free speech.

It absolutely does. It's literally the topic.

Private businesses have the right to remove customers who act like idiots.

Sure, it's still censorship. Still anti-free speech when you censor people/opinions you don't like.

You’ve experienced that on this website so you ought to understand.

Nope, but I'm sure there has been plenty of leftist censorship around here.

 

[MajorRewrite]

It absolutely does. It's literally the topic.



Sure, it's still censorship. Still anti-free speech when you censor people/opinions you don't like.



Nope, but I'm sure there has been plenty of leftist censorship around here.

Chad thinks private businesses aren’t allowed to ban customers who act like morons and violate the business’ rules. Chad is not bright.

And BotanyBoyChad is pretending he’s never been banned before.

 

[UltraChad]

Chad thinks private businesses aren’t allowed to ban customers who act like morons and violate the business’ rules. Chad is not bright.

Where did I ever say anything like that?

If you didn't just make random shit up you wouldn't have anything to post would you??

And BotanyBoyChad is pretending he’s never been banned before.

Clearly not, as I'm here.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Chad thinks private businesses aren’t allowed to ban customers who act like morons and violate the business’ rules. Chad is not bright.

And BotanyBoyChad is pretending he’s never been banned before.

honesty and integrity have never been his strong points.

in fact, one could say his singular talent is redefining words to fit his preconceived political bias.

 

[UltraChad]

honesty and integrity have never been his strong points.

in fact, one could say his singular talent is redefining words to fit his preconceived political bias.

Projection of Democrat MO at it's finest.

I haven't redefined any words, much less to fit any preconceived political bias.

 

[Politruk]

Trump's FCC chief opens investigation into NPR and PBS

President Trump's new head of the Federal Communications Commission has ordered an investigation of NPR and PBS, with an eye toward unraveling federal funding for all public broadcasting.

"I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials," Chairman Brendan Carr wrote on Wednesday to the presidents and chief executives of NPR and PBS, Katherine Maher and Paula A. Kerger, respectively. "In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements."

The FCC does not directly regulate the two networks. Instead, it evaluates the actions of roughly 1,500 public broadcasting stations across the country, which hold licenses granted by the FCC for use of public airwaves for radio and television, even in the digital age.

Public broadcasting stations are prohibited from running commercials. Instead they present what are considered corporate underwriting spots, which are supposed to stop shy of a "call to action" telling listeners and viewers to buy a product or service.

 

[Politruk]

This is actually part of Project 2025. Specifically, targeting programs like Sesame Street as "biased to the left."

 

[Politruk]

One of the most successful people in history....says disaster to you??

Successful leaders are very often very bad for the countries they lead.

 

[UltraChad]

This is actually part of Project 2025. Specifically, targeting programs like Sesame Street as "biased to the left."

Good. They preach gender ideology and hyper racialized communism to small children, that means they are biased to the left.

Successful leaders are very often very bad for the countries they lead.

That literally makes them not Successful.

 

[Politruk]

Good. They preach gender ideology and hyper racialized communism to small children

You are an idiot.

 

[PaxNurgle]

Where did I ever say anything like that?

If you didn't just make random shit up you wouldn't have anything to post would you??



Clearly not, as I'm here.

You claiming you have "Never Been Banned before" is like Hisarpy claiming he has "only one lit account." Basically, you are not fooling anyone and only making yourself look more childish.

RIIIIGHT Goth Talk? Or should I say, Corneus Kausa? Or, um, AsmodeusPrime?

 

[UltraChad]

You are an idiot.

For calling you out? Hardly.

 

[UltraChad]

You claiming you have "Never Been Banned before" is like Hisarpy claiming he has "only one lit account." Basically, you are not fooling anyone and only making yourself look more childish.

RIIIIGHT Goth Talk? Or should I say, Corneus Kausa? Or, um, AsmodeusPrime?

OH we're not sure !! List all names because REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Paranoid Schizophrenia.....7 times more common on the left, and it shows.

 

[Politruk]

For calling you out? Hardly.

You are an idiot if you think Sesame Street "preach gender ideology and hyper racialized communism."

 

[UltraChad]

You are an idiot if you think Sesame Street "preach gender ideology and hyper racialized communism."

No, you're paying attention.

Sesame Street is woke trash. Anyone who's watched 10 seconds of it in the last decade can see it plain as day.