The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently made headlines for its approval of the massive and controversial merger between Paramount and CBS deal and for investigating the DEI practices of companies like Comcast. Across the industry more broadly, major firings of Karen Attiah at the Washington Post and the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel caused rumblings among everyday people who worry about the administration’s overreach. And now most recently, President Donald Trump’s lashing out at Al Sharpton for his show on MSNBC, stating perhaps the FCC should “look into” it.
How the FCC Quietly Built America’s Unequal Media System
To many, the FCC is just another government agency with a confusing name. But the Commission, created in 1934, is behind regulating communication infrastructure that powers U.S. television, radio, and broadband—and its decisions continue to shape who controls America’s media.
Yet, the agency has not only failed to diversify the public airwaves since its founding and has actively excluded Black people from owning and controlling broadcast licenses while it has approved applications from white supremacists. This form of “media redlining” then shaped our current landscape into one rife with false and anti-Black narratives that do little to hold powerful politicians and media companies truly accountable. Under Trump, this little known agency doesn’t just play a “background” role, subtly shaping the landscape, but an overt player in pushing specific narratives, conglomerating power and creating a chilling effect among dissenting voices that try to be a true fourth estate.
For example, both Sinclair and Nexstar, the popular companies behind major broadcast networks and local news, declined to initially run Kimmel’s show– even when it returned.
News shapes national and local discourse by choosing which headlines to publish and how to tell each story. A diverse media landscape ensures authentic narratives and equitable coverage.
Attiah’s columns are particularly necessary, as her long history in journalism gives her an insider perspective and a rare ability to translate and make meaning for readers. However, as the FCC allows for more and more monopolization, we’re seeing an infrastructure that only supports and furthers unfair practices– instead of repairing them.
Functions of the FCC Today
The FCC was born out of the Communications Act of 1934 to regulate new technologies—radio at the time, and later television and broadband that allows users to access information on the Internet .
To broadcast legally, outlets had to secure FCC licenses. Because licenses were scarce and valuable, the agency wielded enormous power over who could reach U.S. audiences. The law required the FCC to issue licenses “in the public interest,” but the Commission has failed throughout its history to serve the “public interest” of communities of color.
In fact, Joseph Torres, co-founder of the Media 2070 project and Free Press Senior Adviser for Reparative Policy and Programs, who has spent years writing about and researching FCC history, has stated: “The FCC denied Black people the ability to own stations, while granting licenses to people who openly embraced white supremacy.”
How Licensing Became a Key, Yet Little Known Fight
Throughout the mid-20th century, the FCC routinely rejected Black applicants. In contrast, it approved broadcast licenses for media owners who supported and profited from segregation.
By the 1970s, the FCC had licensed thousands of broadcast stations nationwide, yet only a few were Black owned.
“The inequity wasn’t an accident,” Torres said. “It was the product of federal policy.”
Today’s Consequences
That legacy still shapes today’s hypersegregated media landscape.
FCC data from 2023 shows that Black owners control only 3 percent of all full-power television stations.
Meanwhile, consolidation has accelerated.A few major corporations, including Nexstar, Sinclair, and Comcast, control most local TV stations. These companies decide which stories get airtime. They also shape how journalists portray communities across the nation.
“The same barriers that locked us out decades ago are still shaping the system,” Torres said. “If you don’t own the means of communication, you don’t control the narrative. This is a critical factor why racist narratives about Black and brown communities persist.
Calls for Change
“Media inequity is a central civil rights issue,” Torres said. “Until we redress how this system was built, we won’t be able to create a media system that serves the health and well-being of our communities and society at-large.”
The FCC rarely trends online. When it does, it is often for harmful reasons. Yet its decisions shape daily life. The agency shapes media coverage of communities and determines how journalists portray politicians and businesses. It determines which local issues gain attention and what music reaches the airwaves.
For Black communities, the agency’s history represents generations of lost opportunity. And the current monopoly-driven media system reflects that exclusion, now and in the future.
“This is about more than fairness,” Torres said. “It’s about power—who has it, and who doesn’t. This is the struggle. This is the fight. When we say it’s about making change, advocating for our communities, we’re also talking about this.”
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