The 2024 Capitol Hill Media Summit (CHMS), NRB’s flagship public policy event welcoming President’s Council members and their guests, featured a series of thought-provoking speeches and policy discussions packed with insights from top policymakers, industry leaders, and experts on media, technology, and current events.
The summit kicked off on Wednesday, September 18, with an opening dinner at the historic Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). NRB president & CEO Troy A. Miller hosted a fireside chat with Kevin Martin, former FCC chair and current vice president of U.S. public policy at Meta. Martin offered insights into the evolving media landscape and the challenges and opportunities facing tech giants.
Martin discussed his office’s day-to-day work, focusing on both public policy objectives and internal policy developments to support free expression across Meta’s platforms and to create a safer experience online for children and families.
Reflecting on his distinguished career in communications law, Martin noted, “One of the most unique things about the broadcasting industry was the idea that there was a unique set of public interest obligations, responsibilities, and benefits that this industry had. And it meant that there were certain privileges that they have, like must-carry, to make sure that people in rural areas weren’t boxed out of getting access to that information.”
“I think that that approach is one of the most successful, when government has been able to preserve what is the real, unique benefits of the technology,” Martin continued. “That is what we also have been missing in the way the government has been approaching many of these new technologies.”
On Thursday, September 19, the second day of the CHMS brought together a distinguished lineup of speakers at the Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Roger Severino of The Heritage Foundation, and Robert Greenway of The Allison Center for National Defense.
Sen. Scott gave a word of encouragement to Christian leaders, calling on Christians to remember their primary allegiance to the King of Kings and their eternal citizenship in Heaven.
“If eternity is set, my objective while I wait for eternity to come is to make sure that I bring as many people with me as possible,” Scott said. “I can’t think of a better country to do that in than the United States of America. As Americans, we have already won the citizenship lottery. We are blessed beyond our comprehension.”
Scott continued, “I believe that as an elected official, it is my responsibility to protect this nation by doing everything I can to apply biblical principles to the way I govern, to the decisions I make. If I do that, then I believe I breathe hope in this country in the only way that I can, by taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ and applying it to everything I do in public service.”
Severino delivered illuminating remarks about defending morality and strengthening conscience protections at federal agencies, sharing a powerful call to action in light of Romans 13.
“What happens when the holders of the sword are themselves the wrongdoers, when they are the evil doers, and we’re called to respond as a matter of conscience to that abuse of God’s authority?” Severino said. “Currently, the regime at the federal level is antithetical to foundational Christian principles, and the fundamental unit of society is often thought of as the individual—that is, our individual consciences that govern. The deeper truth is that the fundamental unit of society is the family. So it’s not only that our own individual consciences are under assault, but the very nature of the family is under assault.”
Greenway addressed the stark contrast between the two visions for the Middle East, in U.S. policy and vital interests, between the Trump administration and the Biden-Harris administration. He discussed the changing dynamics in the region and the need for a revised U.S. approach to address current challenges.
Thursday morning also featured association updates from NRB president & CEO Troy A. Miller. Following the updates, Miller was joined by NRB general counsel Mike Farris for an NRB public policy panel moderated by Noelle Huizenga, vice president of public policy and communications. The trio discussed the status of the AM For Every Vehicle Act, corporate threats to free speech, and NRB’s challenge to the Johnson Amendment.
“We need to be involved in the halls of corporate America,” Miller said, “particularly those who are controlling the channels, the highways of communications today.”
Huizenga gave an update on the latest FCC regulations affecting the broadcasting industry and outlined NRB’s strategic approach to advocating for its members.
“It’s continually important for the FCC to hear from individual broadcasters about what’s happening to them,” Huizenga said. “We’re going to always make every effort to represent our members’ interests, and we’re always going to encourage you to put your interests before the FCC as well.”
Farris shared the latest information on NRB’s litigation in the courts to protect the constitutional rights and freedoms of Christian communicators in America, primarily focusing on NRB’s case to challenge the Johnson Amendment.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) sponsored Thursday’s lunch. E.J. Kimball, Director of Christian Outreach and Engagement at CAM, expressed gratitude for NRB’s partnership, and urged its members to take a vocal stand against antisemitism.
Over lunch, Farris delivered remarks on the growing rejection of free speech, which he argued stems not from a rejection of Enlightenment principles, but from a broader rejection of God and the biblical values that have historically protected religious freedom.
“Having discarded the idea of a creator God, secularist academic elites have left society without any basis for believing that we are all endowed with certain inalienable rights,” Farris said. “Ideas were important at every stage, but it is people who took action that actually got the laws passed—including the Bill of Rights. It was Christians who taught the Bible was supreme and that God alone had jurisdiction over the mind, soul, and hearts of man that delivered these victories.”
In the afternoon, the summit gathered in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room at the United States Senate to hear remarks from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
“Your mission is incredible—your work of spreading the Gospel across the country is incredibly powerful,” Sen. Cruz began. “You’re engaging in free speech, and I am grateful. My focus in the Senate is on… defending the Bill of Rights, defending free speech, [and] defending religious liberty. …I am grateful that you all are on the front lines, making a difference in your communities all across the country.”
“The hallmark of the Western civilization is our ability to debate,” said Rep. Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. “If you can’t do that, the alternative to settling disputes is not good. That’s why this First Amendment issue in my office is the most important.”
“The most important thing the government can do is protect the institutions that are the fiber of the nation: the family, the community, and the faith, which instill values that make us stronger as a result,” Rubio said. “Your mission is to bring news and information in a manner that’s consistent with their values and hopefully inspires them to live up to those values. From a government perspective, our job is to ensure that your right in this country to do that remains unencumbered.”
On Thursday evening, a summit dinner at the Capitol Hill Club featured remarks from Dr. Peter Navarro, trade advisor to 45th President Donald J. Trump. Navarro shared the story of his four-month term in prison earlier this year for a misdemeanor conviction arising from defying a subpoena from the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack. Highlighting the use of weaponized lawfare to attack and eliminate political opponents, Navarro concluded with a simple call to action, noting, “This is not an ordinary election. … You have to tell your people that they must, this time, get out and vote. … This is your first priority.”
The summit’s third and final day on Friday, September 20, included remarks from Rev. Dr. Uriesou Brito, Professor Jonathan Turley, and Commissioner Brendan Carr.
“Those of you seeking to make the name of Jesus great in the public square are going to receive a massive amount of scrutiny,” Brito said, reflecting on Ephesians 6. “Have you allowed the Garden to be compromised by impurity? Did you abandon your post in the Garden, or are you using your sword to cause havoc on sin and to proclaim the Gospel that is indeed true and good? Put on the armor of God. Learn to wield the sword in season and out of season. Engage the complex world before you with the clarity of this Word.”
Turley, a legal scholar and Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, delivered remarks on the erosion of First Amendment freedoms and the movement against free speech. Turley recently released a new book on this topic, The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.
“We are living through what I think is the most dangerous anti-free speech movement in our history,” Turley said. “And it’s a dangerous conceit to believe that because we have gone through earlier periods that we will be able to emerge from this one unscathed. … We are, in fact, I think the last line of defense for free speech. … The most revolutionary part of the American Revolution was what became the First Amendment. Free speech is indispensable in that you can’t have the other rights unless you have free speech.”
Brendan Carr, the senior Republican commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), also focused on the importance of free speech in a fireside chat with Miller, among a series of topics related to broadcasting and other regulatory matters.
“There’s this increasing trend where, in the name of democracy, we need to have people going to the ballot box, with brains filled only with the approved orthodox of the state,” Carr said. “And that’s the opposite of democracy, right? Free speech is the check on authoritarianism.”
The Capitol Hill Media Summit offers President’s Council members a unique opportunity to engage with top policymakers, build relationships with fellow industry leaders, and engage in thought-provoking discussions. Each year, the summit’s focus on media policy, technology, and current events makes it a must-attend gathering for those interested in shaping the future of the Christian media marketplace. The support of the President’s Council empowers NRB to advocate for the rights and interests of Christian communicators in the Nation’s capital. Learn more about the President’s Council here.