President-elect Donald Trump chose Brendan Carr to lead the Federal Communications Commission, the agency that regulates broadcasting, telecommunications, and broadband.
Here’s what you need to know about the cabinet pick.
He’s a longtime FCC member
Carr has history with the FCC. He’s worked at the agency since 2012, including as its general counsel. Trump appointment Carr to commissioner in 2017, and he was renominated by President Joe Biden in 2023. As the senior most Republican commissioner, many expected Carr’s appointment.
He’s a critic of Big Tech
Carr is a frequent critic of Big Tech and its influence. Just days ago, he called out Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet for allegedly improperly censoring certain viewpoints. He also is in favor of the TikTok ban, citing his concerns about China’s threat to national security. That potentially conflicts with Trump’s views, as he seems to have flip flopped on the ban since his time in office.
He’s close with Elon Musk
Carr reportedly has a close relationship with tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, going to bat for the billionaire. He called out Democratic FCC commissioners for denying Starlink federal award money, and has said that, under Biden, several agencies were subjecting Musk to “regulatory harassment.”
He played a key role in Project 2025
Carr wrote the FCC chapter for the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a controversial policy proposal for Trump’s second term. He said the FCC’s top priorities should be “reining in Big Tech, promoting national security, unleashing economic prosperity, and ensuring FCC accountability and good governance.” As part of the guidebook, he called for reforming Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives tech platforms that moderate user content certain immunities.
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