Cantwell and Duckworth, Colleagues Denounce FCC Chair Brendan Carr for Illegally Gutting Federal Law to Help Ensure Families Stay Connected with Incarcerated Loved Ones
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, joined Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), author of the bipartisan Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, in denouncing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr’s decision to undermine the 2023 law which would crack down on egregious prison phone rates and make it easier for family members to regularly communicate with incarcerated loved ones, reducing recidivism.
Cantwell Statement on Shuttering of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement on the shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), as a result of the rescission of its Fiscal Year 2026 and 2027 funding passed on a partisan basis in July 2025.
In Appearance on Morning Joe, Cantwell Defends Freedom of the Press, Demands FCC Chairman Carr Testify Before Commerce Committee
This morning, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation – which oversees the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe in the wake of ABC’s firing last week of comedian Jimmy Kimmel, to defend freedom of speech, freedom of the press and to demand that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testify before the Commerce Committee as soon as possible. On Friday, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) calling for Chairman Carr to appear before the Committee.
Cantwell Leads Commerce Committee Democrats in Demanding FCC Chairman Carr Testify
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, led Democratic Committee Members Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ben Ray Luján, (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) in a letter to Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) requesting the Chairman call Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr to testify before the Committee following his threats to use the regulatory power of the FCC to compel ABC to fire comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
Commerce Committee Democrats Decry Carr’s Censorship of Jimmy Kimmel
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which oversees the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), senior member of the Committee, Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, and all Democratic members of the Committee sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr demanding that he immediately stop threatening media organizations over content the Trump Administration does not like, in violation of the First Amendment.
Cantwell Statement on FCC Chair Carr’s Attacks on Free Speech
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which oversees the Federal Communications Commission, condemned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s intimidation of the press yesterday, which resulted in the indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show.
NPR and PBS Are More Than “Tiny Desk” and “Daniel Tiger” They Are Critical to Public Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today released a Snapshot Report that highlights data on public broadcasters across the United States and broadcasters’ role in responding to emergencies and public safety events. In rural areas, public broadcasters may be the sole source of information during emergencies, leaving them disproportionately impacted by federal funding cuts.
Cantwell Sounds the Alarm About Dangers of Republican Plan to Auction Spectrum Essential to National Security, Aviation Safety and the Innovation Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, sounded the alarm about the dangers of the Republican plan to auction 800 megahertz of spectrum that is essential to national security, aviation safety and America’s innovation economy in a one-on-one conversation with Dr. Tom Karako, Director of the Missile Defense Project and Senior Fellow in Defense & Security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Cantwell Demands Answers from AT&T and Verizon on Chinese “Salt Typhoon” Hack
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, demanded answers from AT&T Chairman and CEO John Stankey and from Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg about ongoing vulnerabilities related to the successful Chinese state-sponsored “Salt Typhoon” hack discovered last year. Salt Typhoon deeply penetrated major U.S. telecommunications networks, including AT&T and Verizon, but in December 2024, both companies claimed that their networks were secure.
Cantwell Statement on Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s “Reform” of BEAD Broadband Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released the following statement on Commerce Secretary Lutwick’s “new guidance” on the BEAD program: