# FCC allows foreign governments to own Paramount

> Brendan Carr's FCC waived ownership rules to let Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi control nearly half of a major American media company.
- Title: FCC allows foreign governments to own Paramount · The Verge
- Summary: Brendan Carr's FCC waived ownership rules to let Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi control nearly half of a major American media company. The FCC under Carr…
- Keywords: brendan carr, fcc, paramount, warner bros, foreign ownership, sovereign wealth funds, saudi arabia, qatar, abu dhabi, media regulation, first amendment, technology
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/policy/997416/brendan-carr-fcc-foreign-governments-paramount
- Author: Terrence O'Brien
- Published: 2026-09-18T15:12:41+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brendan carr, fcc, paramount, warner bros, foreign ownership, sovereign wealth funds, saudi arabia, qatar, abu dhabi, media regulation, first amendment, technology
## FCC waives foreign ownership rules
The FCC allowed sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi to own 49.5 percent of Paramount-Warner Bros., waiving its standard 25 percent foreign equity limit.
## Carr's FCC targets American media figures
Under Brendan Carr, the FCC has threatened ABC, tried to block stations from airing interviews with Democrats, censored late-night TV hosts, and attempted to bully journalists.
## FCC claims foreign funds have no control
The FCC defended its decision by noting the purchased stocks lack voting rights, so the foreign governments cannot influence editorial decisions at the company.
## Critics reject the FCC's reasoning
Free Press and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez argue that government ownership of non-voting shares still secures influence over what gets said and made in American media.

> control over for-profit, commercial domestic news media by any government is an extraordinary situation
## Gomez warns of propaganda risk
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez posted that the FCC just let some of the world's most repressive governments indirectly control nearly all of a combined Paramount-Warner Bros.

> The FCC just let some of the most repressive governments in the world indirectly control nearly all of a combined Paramount-Warner Bros.
## Key takeaway

The FCC under Carr is aggressively policing American journalists and entertainers while simultaneously allowing repressive foreign governments to own significant stakes in major U.S. media companies.