Incoming FCC Chair Brendan Carr says reinstating the agency’s spectrum auction authority and fully funding Rip & Replace are among his top priorities in 2025. So too are beating “tech censorship” and the “censorship cartel.”
Carr also pledged to scrutinize any telecommunications network with ties to communist China, citing national security concerns, he said on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” on Monday. Making up the more than $3 billion shortfall in the effort to reimburse small carriers that remove what the U.S. considers untrusted mobile network gear from Huawei and ZTE is a telecom industry priority as well.
Following a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing last week titled “Big Hacks & Big Tech: China’s Cybersecurity Threat,” Competitive Carriers Association President/CEO Tim Donovan said, “the congressionally mandated” Rip & Replace program shortfall “leaves networks vulnerable and an important national security mandate incomplete.”
“The situation is dire: Rural telecommunications providers are being forced to decide where to remove equipment but not replace it, eliminating service both to their own subscribers as well as millions of Americans who roam onto their networks for connectivity, including for 911 and emergency services,” explained Donovan. “These are permanent choices that are detrimental to service availability and entire businesses. Congress must eliminate this security risk by immediately and fully funding the program.”
Carr told Fox he wants to “smash the censorship cartel” to rebuild trust in media sources and ensure broadcasters serve the public interest, Fox reported Carr’s position reflects concerns within the GOP that social media and mainstream outlets too often align with liberal interests and suppress conservative ones. “Americans have lived under an unprecedented surge in censorship over the last couple of years, and we have to work together to smash the censorship cartel,” Carr said.
Once current FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel leaves in January, the Commission will be at 2-2, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Carr will need to wait for President-elect Donald Trump to nominate a new GOP member of the Commission, and for Senate confirmation, to attain a 3-2 majority and begin to implement his agenda.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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