Kenneth Robinson

[Commentary] What's the likelihood federal regulatory agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission will now be employed in President Donald Trump’s “running war with the media”?

Will the FCC take up its long-retired cudgels and pound the electronic media over the head? It is highly unlikely the Trump White House will contact the FCC in any regard. And, will the FCC take steps anyway to apply and enforce their various rules? Probably not. The FCC rules for broadcasters used to be pretty strict. They fined stations for failing to label "file footage," for instance. Or broadcasting news that they knew was incorrect. "Rigging the news" was one of the worst offenses back then. But now? It's likely to be ignored, isn't it? We think the Trump White House and FCC will follow historical tradition and remain "two ships passing in the dark" and having virtually no contact.

[Robinson is a communications attorney and former FCC official]