UPDATE President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Brendan Carr as the next FCC Chair signals big changes in communications policy. Carr, a former general counsel of the agency and frequent critic of the current administration, has vowed to battle against social media companies and TV licensees that Republicans believe are too liberal, reports The Washington Post.
Carr will be able to serve as the FCC Chair within moments of Trump being sworn into office on January 20, 2025, as the role does not need legislative confirmation, according to The Desk. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has been in the role since 2021, when President Joe Biden began his presidential term. Her term is set to expire in June of next year, notes Datacenter Dynamics.
If tradition holds, Rosenworcel will step down near the time of Trump’s inauguration. That will leave the FCC with four voting commissioners, two Republicans and two Democrats. That means Carr will need to await confirmation of a third Republican before he can move on his agenda, notes Policyband.
Carr has vowed in recent days to take on what he called a “censorship cartel” including Facebook (NASDAQ: META), Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). He sent a letter last Wednesday to the companies, warning that he believed they were improperly censoring some viewpoints. He wrote that the new Trump administration may review their companies’ activities. “Americans have lived through an unprecedented surge in censorship,” he wrote. “Your companies played significant roles in this improper conduct.”
Carr has also indicated that he would scrutinize TV broadcasters in instances that Republicans view as political bias, through the narrow legal authority that the FCC has over such issues. He recently criticized NBC for allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to appear on Saturday Night Live in the lead-up to the presidential election. He said her appearance was a “clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule,” reports Datacenter Dynamics. NBC later said it gave Trump a commensurate slot following a NASCAR race.
In a post on X after news of his nomination as FCC chair, Newsweek reported that Carr posted, “Broadcast media have had the privilege of using a scarce and valuable public resource—our airwaves. In turn, they are required by law to operate in the public interest. When the transition is complete, the FCC will enforce this public interest obligation.”
Carr’s ascent bodes well for the business prospects of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, with the two cultivating a closer relationship in recent months, according to published accounts. Carr has visited SpaceX facilities several times this year and Musk went all-in on Trump’s campaign, notes The Washington Post. He’s been playing a central role in assembling and vetting key figures in his new administration, according to The Washington Post. Musk’s social media platform X stands to benefit from Carr’s vow to scrutinize its rival internet giants such as Facebook and Google.
Pending decisions before the FCC include whether to allow Musk’s Starlink satellites to orbit closer to Earth, which would make its internet service faster and the company a stronger competitor to traditional broadband providers. Carr has advocated for Starlink to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in FCC grants.
The soon-to-be Chairman’s current term runs through 2029, reports Inside Radio. Carr has worked at the FCC since 2012, and was appointed a commissioner in 2017 by Trump. He rose through the ranks as an aide to Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, advising him for years on public safety and international issues. Pai called Carr a “brilliant advisor and General Counsel” on X. “I’m confident he will be a great FCC chairman,” Pai wrote.
Telecom groups also praised the news about Carr.
“His deregulatory views and his affection for Elon Musk are well-known. I expect few surprises,” veteran telecommunications lawyer Andrew Schwartzman told The Washington Post.
Carr’s appointment drew criticism from left-leaning groups, including the Chamber of Progress, a trade association that represents trade groups on issues such as antitrust law, content moderation and self-driving cars. It posted on X that if he were confirmed, it would be up to Democrats to defend a content-moderation protection policy that “keeps the internet from becoming a cesspool.”
Craig Aaron, co-CEO of the liberal advocacy group Free Press Action, said Carr’s apparent willingness to target news organizations over their coverage of Trump should be “disqualifying.” Aaron said, “Brendan Carr has been campaigning for this job with promises to do the bidding of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. He’s being rewarded with a promotion, but it’s the American public who will pay the price.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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