WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has asked Federal Communications Commission member Anna Gomez to issue a legal opinion on whether the Communications Act would permit the FCC to operate with commissioners from only one political party.
Wyden, a Democrat, made the request after President Donald Trump nominated Danielle Thumann Severs to the commission. Wyden argues that if Severs is confirmed and Gomez were later removed, the agency could be left with three Republican commissioners and no member from another party.
The Communications Act limits the number of commissioners who may belong to the same political party. Wyden contends that the statute and its history were intended to preserve bipartisan representation and says actions by a single-party commission could face legal challenges.
The request itself does not establish that such a commission would be unlawful. Gomez has been asked for her legal interpretation, and there has been no court ruling or FCC determination resolving the question described in Wyden’s letter.
The issue matters to broadcasters because the FCC makes decisions affecting station ownership, licensing, spectrum policy, broadcast regulation and other communications rules.
Source: Office of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, September 25, 2026.