President-elect Donald Trump has announced his selection of Brendan Carr as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a move that is expected to reshape the agency’s direction on telecom policies. Carr, 45, currently serves as the top Republican on the FCC, the independent agency responsible for regulating telecommunications in the U.S.
Carr has been a vocal critic of several policies under the Biden administration, particularly its stance on broadband subsidies and the regulation of Big Tech. He opposed the FCC’s decision not to finalize nearly $900 million in broadband subsidies for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet unit, as well as the Biden administration’s $42 billion broadband infrastructure program. Carr has also criticized the federal government’s spectrum policy, which oversees the allocation of radio frequency for wireless communications.
In a letter sent last week to major tech companies, including Meta, Google, Apple, and Microsoft, Carr accused them of censoring Americans. He emphasized the need for the FCC to “restore free speech rights for everyday Americans.” His remarks come amid ongoing debates over the role of social media platforms in regulating content.
Democratic Senator Ed Markey expressed concern over Carr’s recent actions, arguing that his letter could be seen as an implicit threat to private companies over their speech. Markey suggested that under Trump’s leadership, the FCC could shift towards becoming what he described as the “Federal Censorship Commission.”
Carr has long been an advocate for loosening regulatory constraints on the media industry. He has called for the relaxation of rules that limit the number of radio and TV stations a single company can own in a market, and criticized the Biden administration’s digital discrimination rule, arguing it would allow the federal government to overstep in regulating the internet.
The National Association of Broadcasters praised Carr, calling him a “steadfast leader in holding Big Tech accountable” and supporting policies that would help local broadcast stations compete with larger tech companies. Carr’s tenure at the FCC has also seen him push back against efforts to reinstate net neutrality rules, which were rolled back during Trump’s first term. Although these rules were reinstated by the Biden administration, a federal appeals court put them on hold.
Carr is known for his hard stance on China, having become the first FCC commissioner to visit Taiwan in 2022. He has been an advocate of tough policies against Chinese telecom companies, including the prohibition of Chinese tech firms from participating in U.S. 5G infrastructure.
Trump first nominated Carr to the FCC in January 2017, after Carr had served as the agency’s general counsel. The new administration will need to fill a third seat on the five-member commission before it can take full control of the agency.
In a statement, Trump described Carr as “a warrior for free speech” and praised his efforts to combat what he called the regulatory barriers that have stifled Americans’ freedoms and hindered the economy.
