Trump Taps Carr to Chair FCC
Facts
- US Pres.-elect Donald Trump on Sunday nominated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr as the agency's permanent chairman, with his term extending through 2029.[1][2]
- Carr has served at the FCC since 2012 and previously worked as an advisor to former Chairman Ajit Pai and as general counsel before his commissioner nomination in 2017. He is currently the agency's senior Republican under chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.[1][3][4]
- Carr has criticized Pres. Joe Biden for broadband internet expansion subsidies while also endorsing Elon Musk as a recipient of such funds. He proposed that the next administration should involve the FCC in discussions concerning social media content management.[5][6]
- Carr, a former federal court clerk, said he will investigate major technology companies — including Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft — as well as fact-checking websites, like NewsGuard, for what he describes as enforcing 'one-sided narratives.'[7][8]
- Following his nomination, Carr wrote on X that the FCC under his leadership would 'end its promotion' of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), stating that current leadership has made DEI its 'second-highest' priority for its 2025 budget goals.[9]
- This comes as Trump has recently called for the revocation of certain broadcasting licenses, though the FCC's authority primarily extends to individual stations rather than networks.[10]
Sources: [1]Daily Wire, [2]Newsweek, [3]New York Times, [4]Datacenterdynamics, [5]Politico, [6]New York Post, [7]Breitbart, [8]BNN Bloomberg, [9]X and [10]CNBC.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. Carr is exactly what America needs following years of government-corporate collusion to kick conservatives off the internet. The most powerful people in the world — from Biden to many Big Tech billionaires — are left-leaning liberals who want their beliefs to be the only acceptable ones. That will change under Carr.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by The New Republic. Carr's nomination proves Republicans don't care about government agencies being biased. Not only does Carr want to strip away national internet access rights by abolishing net neutrality, but he'll simultaneously cozy up to his billionaire friends like Musk. This choice was about enriching pro-Trump businessmen.