FCC accused of hiding Chairman Carr’s messages with DOGE and Musk

An advocacy group has raised serious allegations against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), claiming it has failed to fulfill a public records request and has hidden communications involving Chairman Brendan Carr on the Signal messaging platform. Journalist Nina Burleigh, alongside the advocacy organization Frequency Forward, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asserting that the FCC has acted in bad faith by withholding pertinent documents tied to their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The complaint details that the FCC's actions included redefining search criteria without notifying the plaintiffs or the court, further complicating efforts to access information. The plaintiffs allege that Chairman Carr has been using a Signal account on a government device to conduct official business, which they argue adds to the opacity surrounding the FCC's dealings. Last year, Burleigh and Frequency Forward initiated legal action against the FCC, accusing the agency of violating the FOIA by improperly withholding crucial records. In August 2025, a federal judge ordered the FCC to produce the requested documents, criticizing its previous response as “vague and uninformative.” The initial FOIA request, filed in February 2025, sought to investigate the potential conflicts of interest stemming from DOGE's activities in relation to Elon Musk's SpaceX and Starlink, which are pursuing various FCC licenses. The plaintiffs assert that evidence indicates Musk leveraged his government connections to benefit himself and his companies financially. They argue, "The evidence strongly suggests that Musk bought his way into the White House and used his influence as de-facto head of DOGE to profit from government decisions." Burleigh and Frequency Forward have urged the court to reject the FCC's motion for summary judgment, demanding that the agency release all relevant documents within a week and permit the plaintiffs to submit further discovery requests. Their filing criticizes the FCC for wasting significant time and hindering efforts to review essential records in a timely manner.