Can Paramount "gift" its way past the FCC?

What It Covers

ProPublica's investigation reveals FCC commissioners Brendan Carr and Olivia Trustee accepted gifts worth up to $250,000 from Paramount Skydance while the company seeks FCC approval for a $111 billion merger requiring a foreign ownership waiver.

Key Questions Answered

• •Regulatory Conflict of Interest: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr allegedly accepted a $250,000 private skybox seat at the Kennedy Center Honors, hosted by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, while simultaneously holding authority over Paramount's $111 billion merger approval. His financial disclosure remains unreleased.
• •Pattern of Gifts: Financial disclosure records spanning a decade show Carr accepted FCC-regulated company gifts on at least seven prior occasions totaling roughly $63,000. Both Republican and Democratic commissioners, including Democrat Anna Gomez, accepted similar Kennedy Center tickets in prior years.
• •Foreign Ownership Threshold: US law caps foreign ownership of broadcast license holders at 25%. Paramount's merger financing from Saudi Arabian, Abu Dhabi, and Qatari sovereign wealth funds would push foreign ownership to nearly 50%, requiring an FCC waiver that the same gifted commissioners must approve.
• •Ethics Law Exposure: Four independent ethics attorneys consulted by ProPublica expressed outrage, noting federal rules prohibit officials from accepting anything of value from regulated entities. Required documentation showing ethics office approval for these gifts was requested repeatedly from the FCC but never provided.