Senate Republicans on Thursday accused the FCC’s Democratic majority of acting as a “de facto arm” of the Biden campaign’s push for AI regulation in an election year, according to a report obtained exclusively by Breitbart News.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), along with Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a letter obtained by Breitbart News. The commission’s Democratic majority: moved To regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in political advertising.
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U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Senate Republicans said the move raises serious “statutory and constitutional concerns” and that officials should crack down on political advertising, especially ahead of a contentious presidential election. They also made clear that the proposal would impose burdensome regulations on cable companies and broadcast networks, but would not apply to “unregulated” big tech companies.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) speaks during a press conference following the Senate Republicans’ weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2024. (Samuel Coram/Getty Images)
“Rather than favoring certain political voices and interfering in our elections, we urge you to abandon this dangerous proposal that threatens to undermine free speech in our country,” Senate Republicans said.
06.06.24 Letter to Chairman Rosenworcel on AI and Political Advertising by Breitbart News On Scribd
Thune, Schmidt, Cruz and McConnell aren’t the only ones concerned about the FCC’s proposal, as they noted that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has also expressed concerns about the proposal.
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel speaks at the South Court Auditorium in the White House complex in Washington, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey sent a letter to Rosenworcel this week accusing them of violating the FEC’s authority to regulate election policy.
Cooksey explanation:
Congress gave the FEC sole authority to interpret, administer, and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, including the disclaimers and reporting requirements specific to political communications prescribed by federal law. Indeed, federal appeals courts have upheld the FEC’s unique authority to regulate political disclaimers as other agencies attempt to circumvent or supplement the rules, concluding that “the FEC is the sole administrative arbiter of issues regarding name identification and disclaimers for political communications.” Accordingly, I argue that the FCC lacks the legal authority to promulgate inconsistent disclaimer requirements solely for political communications.
Cooksey also said Rosenworcel’s plans to impose restrictions before the 2024 elections would cause “chaos and disorder” in political campaigns and ultimately stifle free speech.
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“As a result, your stations will interfere with and undermine political campaigns and elections. Therefore, if you proceed with all or part of this rulemaking, I urge you and your colleagues at the FCC to delay the effective date of any new regulations until after November 5, 2024,” the FEC chairman wrote.
Republican senators also said that FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr’s imposition of AI regulations on broadcast and cable companies but not on big tech companies would create a situation where the same ad would have AI disclosures on TV but not on big tech platforms like Facebook.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr speaks at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on February 24, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty)
The lawmakers also said the FCC was acting more like an arm of the Biden campaign than an independent agency.
The proposals you are advancing align closely with the broader agenda put forward by the Democratic National Committee, which has called on the FEC to put in place comprehensive regulations regulating AI-generated political speech before the 2024 election. It is unfortunate to see the FCC acting as a de facto arm of the Biden campaign rather than an independent commission accountable to Congress.
“We urge you to reconsider your efforts to regulate AI in political advertising,” Senate Republicans concluded in their letter to Rosenworcel.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter. Sean Moran 3.Rosenvorselville
