FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty voted to approve Paramount's $8 billion merger with Skydance, then accepted Kennedy Center gala tickets from Paramount worth over $12,000 months later. Ethics experts say accepting expensive gifts from companies the FCC regulates creates a conflict of interest and compromises the agency's impartiality, particularly when the timing follows a major regulatory decision favoring the gift-giver. ProPublica also found that FCC Chair Brendan Carr received at least $63,000 worth of similar tickets from CBS or Paramount, expanding the scope of the ethical concern beyond a single commissioner.