It's a change Carr has publicly contemplated making, but hasn't yet. This is more about CBS under Ellison-controlled Paramount (who is on a quest to consolidate a conservative media empire) to curry favor with the administration by obeying in advance. (The CBS policy is new.)

In FCC DA 26-68 they gave public notice of their change of interpretation/enforcement of the equal time rules to apply to this situation.

The words after FCC crackdown were including opening a probe into ABC’s “The View,” after Talarico appeared on the show.

Uh, why exactly are we inventing a completely speculative alternate possibility when this is perfectly in line with Brendan Carr's multiple public statements and recent examples wielding FCC regulatory power to strong arm media organizations that he claims have a pattern of liberal bias, as well as the recent actions of CBS.

It is far more likely for this to be CBS falling in line rather than some method of boosting Talarico.

Heck, if CBS hadn't shown itself to be in Trump's pocket, I would say this is malicious compliance to draw attention to the FCC's skullduggery.