AMNA NAWAZ: Late-night show host Stephen Colbert# is going after his soon-to-be-former network,## saying CBS blocked him from airing# an interview on the broadcast.

That## interview was with James Talarico,# a Texas Democrat running for Senate## who's also been a vocal critic of# President Trump and his policies.

Colbert said he was told the interview could# violate the so-called equal time rule, which## mandates that all political candidates receive# equal on-air opportunities.

Entertainment shows,## including late-night and daytime talk shows,# have long been the exception to that rule.

But, back in January, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr# released a letter saying that could change.

Here's Colbert from last night.

STEPHEN COLBERT, Host, "The Late Show# With Stephen Colbert": In this letter,## Carr said he was thinking about# dropping the exception for talk## shows because he said some of them# were motivated by partisan purposes.

Well, sir, you're chairman of the# FCC, so FCCU, because I think... (CHEERING) STEPHEN COLBERT: Because I think you are# motivated by partisan purposes yourself.

(CHEERING) STEPHEN COLBERT: Sir, you# smelt it because you dealt it.

(LAUGHTER) AMNA NAWAZ: For more, I'm joined# now by FCC Com.. Welcome back to the "News# Hour."

Thanks for being here.

ANNA GOMEZ, Commissioner, Federal Communications# Commission: Thank you.

It's good .. AMNA NAWAZ: I should also note we did invite# FCC .. but his office did not respond.

He's# welcome to join us in the future.

I want to put to you some confusing# narratives we have here.

Colbert,## we have heard, is saying he was# told by CBS lawyers Talarico could## not be on the broadcast.

So he ran the# interview on YouTube instead.

But CBS## in a statement today said that Colbert was# not prohibited from airing the interview.

He was told it could trigger the FCC# equal time rule and that he chose to## stream it on YouTube instead.

What# do you make of these two narratives?

ANNA GOMEZ: Well, I don't know between# the two facts that are being provided,## but I do know that what the FCC did this year was,## it put out a notice about the equal time rule# that doesn't really give us anything new.

The equal time rule has been on the# books for a very long time.

It's a## part of the statute.

And what it does is,# it allows legally qualified candidates to## request equal time if a show puts on# another legally qualified candidate.

AMNA NAWAZ: OK.

ANNA GOMEZ: But ther.. something that basically says, if you are# providing programming that is newsworthy,## then you are exempt from# this equal time requirement.

The FCC has longstanding practice of declaring# news -- entertainment programs to be newsworthy,## for example, "The Tonight Show," Sally Jessy# Raphael, "Politically Incorrect," "Donahue."

Those## were all found to be bona fide news exemptions# because of the newsworthiness of their programs.

AMNA NAWAZ: So is that a rule that the FCC# chairman could change?

Could that equal time## rule now be expanded to include daytime and# late-night shows that were previously exempt?

ANNA GOMEZ: Well, what the FCC did was# it put out a public notice that said,## hey, just because we have this precedent# doesn't mean that everything that you are## doing is actually subject to this# news exemption.

And we want to now## review everything that you're doing# in order to make that determination.

One of the things that's really important to# note is that in declaring whether something is## subject to the bona fide news exemption,# what it does is, it says -- has the producer,## the independent producer or the broadcaster,# made a decision that is reasonable about the## newsworthiness of that particular programming, as# opposed to having the candidate, the programming,## the format, the content being done for purposes# of harming or helping a particular candidate?

The FCC relies on the reasonable good# faith judgment of the broadcasters in## making that determination.

So the point# that I'm trying to make here is that this## public notice that the commission# put out is not anything new.

It## is saying we have this equal time rule# and we want people to be aware of that.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

And yet at the same time## it's now triggered this episode# that we're all talking about.

I mean, you did accuse CBS of corporate# capitulation to administration efforts to## censor and control speech.

And Texas State# Rep.

James Talarico in that interview that## aired on YouTube said sort of the same# thing.

And take a listen to how he put it.

STATE REP.

JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): Corporate# media executives are selling out the First## Amendment to curry favor with corrupt# politicians.

And a threat to any of## our First Amendment rights is a threat# to all of our First Amendment rights.

(CHEERING) AMNA NAWAZ: There are those who are going# to say the interview was published, right?## We are airing it.

Others are airing it.

People# are talking about it.

Why censorship concerns?

ANNA GOMEZ: The concern here is because this# is a part of a broader pattern by this FCC## and this administration to get our corporate# parents of our broadcasters to capitulate and## to modify how they are reporting the news, to# do so in a way that this administration likes.

Anything they don't like, they want to control# and they want to censor.

So, in this case,## it's just part of a broader pattern.

Now,# maybe it's true that the facts between CBS## and the Colbert show are different, but the# fact that we're in this moment and talking## about this tells you that we are in a very# precarious moment for our First Amendment.

And the FCC needs to stay# out of content regulation## because our First Amendment prohibits it.

AMNA NAWAZ: So what is the# impact of that pattern as## you lay it out?

How could it change programming,## especially when we're talking about a year in# which there are midterm elections coming up?

ANNA GOMEZ: Broadcasters are already# self-censoring because they don't## want to get before the crosshairs of# this administration.

And that is bad## for the First Amendment.

It's bad for the# freedom of the press.

We need broadcasters,## we need all journalists to hold us to account,# because that is their role in our democracy.

So this is very serious.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is FCC Commissioner# Anna Gomez joining us tonight.

Commissioner Gomez, thank you for# your time.

Really appreciate it.

ANNA GOMEZ: Thank you.