特朗普提名机构律师出任联邦通信委员会委员

Trump nominates agency lawyer to serve on Federal Communications Commission

2026-08-07 16:01:57 / Reuters

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seal decorates a wall inside their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Trump-picked lawyer would fill one of two open seats on five-member commission
• FCC now has two Republicans and one Democrat
• If confirmed, nomination ​could let Trump fire Democratic commissioner because FCC needs three members for quorum

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday nominated a senior lawyer at the Federal Communications Commission to serve on the five-member agency as he presses it to revoke the licenses of broadcasters.

The White House said Trump is tapping Danielle Thumann Severs, who is a senior ​counsel to FCC Chair Brendan Carr and goes by Thumann professionally, to serve on one of the ​two open seats on the commission.

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“Danielle is a total pro. She’s been running one of ⁠the most important portions of the FCC’s economic agenda — everything from cracking down on robocalls and combatting fraud — to ​a lot of work on bridging the digital divide and public safety,” Carr said in an interview on Friday.

Trump ​has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programs he dislikes or which have been critical, and pressed the FCC to revoke licenses of broadcasters he says are unfair. Last month, Trump called on the FCC to revoke licenses of Comcast

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-owned NBC and Walt ​Disney

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-owned ABC for not airing his remarks on election security on their broadcast channels.

Broadcasters have broad First Amendment rights ​to make content decisions.

The FCC currently has two Republicans and one Democrat, Commissioner Anna Gomez. Trump fired two Democrats on the Federal ‌Trade ⁠Commission and
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.

The FCC historically is divided 3-2 with the party in control of the White House holding a majority. The law requires three members for a quorum, so if Thumann is confirmed it could allow Trump to fire Gomez.

EARLY REVIEW OF ABC STATIONS

Carr in April ordered an unusual, early review of broadcast licenses held by Disney’s ​eight company-owned ABC television stations, ​even though the stations’ ⁠license renewals were not scheduled to be considered until October 2028. The day before Carr ordered the early review, Trump urged ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

Broadcast stations ​need FCC licenses to use public airwaves. While license revocations are exceptionally rare, critics ​say the prospect ⁠of losing a license can pressure broadcasters and raise concerns about government interference in editorial and programming decisions.

Trump demanded in November that the FCC revoke ABC licenses after he criticized an ABC News correspondent for asking Saudi Arabia’s crown prince ⁠about the ​2018 killing of a Washington Post columnist, in a question he ​dubbed “insubordinate.”

The FCC is also investigating ABC daytime talk show “The View,” which discusses U.S. politics, after the agency said it may be subject to federal ​rules requiring broadcasters to provide equal opportunities to political candidates.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Nia Williams and Matthew Lewis

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