The Mysterious Case of the Chair of the F(icticious) C(haos) C(lub)

In light of sweeping actions across the federal government, simply put—the vibes are off at the Federal Communications Commission. I would say someone should call Andy Cohen to request that he bring the cameras down to 45 L Street, but as an NBCUniversal company, would Bravo be denied access to the building because of… diversity, equity, and inclusion? FCC used to be — and should still be — reserved for those who engage in robust, meaningful policy debates about how to make communication available “so far as possible, to all the people of the United States.” It now appears that this seat is reserved for those who auditioned for years to hold an apple, peach, or whatever your preferred Real Housewives opening scene prop may be by pandering to the “main character.” Four months into his chairmanship, Brendan Carr has been using his seat to weaponize the FCC for political purposes. Over the last several weeks, Chairman Carr has sent dog whistles to Disney/ABC, Verizon, Comcast/NBCUniversal, and other companies looking to the FCC to approve their merger proposals. He purposefully misinterprets civil rights laws and says that the mere existence of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and policies are discriminatory.