Trump appoints Brendan Carr FCC chairman amid controversy

President-elect Donald Trump announced Brendan Carr as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

Carr, 45, is currently the top Republican at the FCC, which oversees telecommunications regulation in the U.S.

He has notably criticized the FCC for not finalizing nearly $900 million in broadband subsidies for SpaceX’s Starlink and has voiced concerns over the Biden administration’s broadband infrastructure program and spectrum policy.

Last week, Carr expressed his view that major tech companies like Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft have been censoring American voices. He emphasized the need to restore free speech rights for citizens in his statement on Sunday.

War on censorship

Democratic Senator Ed Markey responded, suggesting that Carr’s actions and letters to these companies represent a form of implicit threat against private entities concerning their speech, potentially rebranding the FCC under Trump as a “Federal Censorship Commission.”

Trump has criticized major media outlets, including Disney’s ABC and Comcast’s NBC, hinting they could face repercussions concerning their FCC licenses.

Additionally, he has taken legal action against CBS over a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, and Carr has also rebuked NBC for featuring her on “Saturday Night Live” shortly before the election.