In Senate testimony, FCC chairman says his agency isn’t independent

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, testifying Wednesday before a Senate committee, said the regulatory body is not an independent government agency — a position that counters his previous public statements and the office’s own website

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, testifying Wednesday before a Senate committee, said the regulatory body is not an independent government agency — a position that counters his previous public statements and the office’s own website.

In an exchange with Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Carr said the FCC is “not formally an independent agency” because, he said, commissioners can be removed by the president.

Luján asked whether the FCC's online mission statement characterizing the agency as “independent” was “lying.” Carr said that was “possibly” the case.

The word “independent” appeared on the mission statement webpage as recently as October, according to a cached version reviewed by NBC News, but it was no longer there Wednesday afternoon as Carr testified.

In response to a request for comment on the website change, an FCC spokesperson said: “With the change in Administration earlier this year, the FCC’s website and materials required updating. That work continues to ensure that they reflect the positions of the agency’s new leadership."