United States President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Brendan Carr, a Republican known for his criticism of Big Tech, to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Carr, who has served as an FCC commissioner since 2017, will end the “regulatory onslaught” that has held back job creators and innovators, and ensure that the communications agency delivers for rural areas, Trump said in a statement on Sunday.
“Commissioner Carr is a warrior for free speech, and has fought against the regulatory lawfare that has stifled Americans’ freedoms, and held back our economy,” Trump said.
Carr, who has echoed Trump’s concerns about censorship by social media platforms, reiterated the need to prioritise free speech following the president-elect’s announcement.
“We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans,” Carr said in a post on X.
While the FCC regulates radio and TV as well as broadband internet services, Carr has called for the agency to adopt a broader remit that includes overseeing big tech companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.
In a chapter of “Project 2025,” a blueprint for overhauling the federal government produced by The Heritage Foundation, Carr argued that Section 230 of the Communications Act should be limited to crack down on what conservatives say is widespread viewpoint discrimination by tech platforms.
In a statement congratulating Trump on his election victory earlier this month, Carr said the agency would have an important role to play “reining in Big Tech” and “ensuring that broadcasters operate in the public interest”.
Before the election, Carr made headlines when he accused NBC of violating “equal time” rules by inviting Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris onto Saturday Night Live.
In an interview with Fox News, he called on his fellow FCC commissioners to investigate NBC and said that “every single remedy”, including licence revocations, should be on the table for networks that commit “egregious” violations of broadcasting standards.
“Whether it’s to benefit Republican or Democrat, that doesn’t matter to me. We have rules on the books, we have to uphold them,” he said.
Liberals have expressed alarm at Carr’s views, expressing concern that he intends to politicise the FCC and arguing that Section 230, which shields internet providers from liability over the content they carry, is essential to a free and open internet.
“When people tell you what they plan to do, you should believe them. Brendan Carr has clearly stated that he plans to attack Section 230 and force online platforms to carry sludge,” Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the centre-left trade group Chamber of Progress Founder, said in a statement.
“That’s why Democrats need to defend Section 230, which protects content moderation and keeps the Internet from becoming a cesspool.”
Max Burns, a Democratic strategist, said that Carr was aligned with Trump’s plans to use the FCC as a “weapon against news networks the president doesn’t like”.
“Get ready,” Burns said in a post on X.
The five-member FCC currently has three Democratic appointees, but Trump will have a chance to tilt the body in favour of Republicans when Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s five-year term ends next year.
