Trump Nominates Brendan Carr to Lead the FCC 

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Brendan Carr to steer the Federal Communications Fee as chairman, asserting the appointment in a press release on Nov. 17. 

Carr is the senior Republican on the FCC. He was a Trump appointee to the fee and has served as a member of the fee since 2017. He beforehand served because the FCC’s Common Counsel and as an aide to FCC commissioner Ajit Pai.

“Commissioner Carr is a warrior at no cost speech, and has fought in opposition to the regulatory lawfare that has stifled Individuals’ freedoms and held again our economic system. He’ll finish the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s jobs creators and innovators,” Trump stated in a press release. 

Carr stated he’s honored to function chairman and gave some perception into his priorities for the fee in a collection of posts on X, saying he goals to “dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights,” and finish the FCC’s promotion of variety, fairness, and inclusion (DEI). 

This appointment may have implications for the way the FCC treats satellite tv for pc broadband in federal subsidy packages. Carr has been extremely important of the FCC’s determination to cancel Starlink funding within the Rural Digital Alternative Fund (RDOF). He has issued a number of statements in opposition to the choice, arguing that it exceeded the company’s authority, and taking problem with the usual of overview the choice used. 

He just lately known as for a “extra subtle dialogue” of how satellite tv for pc broadband is handled by the FCC within the commissions’ formal inquiry into the state of broadband within the U.S. Carr stated the FCC has not handled satellite tv for pc broadband as a real aggressive possibility, an strategy that longer is smart within the context of large-scale deployment in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). 

“We’re lengthy overdue for a refresh on the aggressive significance of satellite tv for pc broadband. Certainly, [the report] ought to take a contemporary take a look at rising and extant sources of intermodal competition,” Carr stated in a September assertion. 

Carr authored the FCC part of conservative coverage doc Venture 2025, arguing for better regulation of Large Tech, addressing TikTok’s menace to nationwide safety, and shifting extra shortly to approve new satellite tv for pc applied sciences.  

After Trump received the election earlier this month, Carr issued a press release giving some perception into what a Republican-led FCC will give attention to. 

“When the transition is full, the FCC could have an necessary function to play reining in Large Tech, making certain that broadcasters function within the public curiosity, and unleashing financial development whereas advancing our nationwide safety pursuits and supporting legislation enforcement. The FCC can and should ship outcomes for the American individuals,” Carr stated on Nov. 7.