In a move that has sparked both excitement and concern, US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Brendan Carr, a strong critic of big tech companies, as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Carr, who has long been a vocal advocate for curbing the power of tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple, was nominated by Trump in a statement released on Sunday.
“I am proud to nominate Brendan Carr as the next Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,” Trump said in the statement. “Brendan has fought against the regulatory lawfare that has stifled Americans’ freedoms and has stood strong for free speech.”
Carr’s appointment comes at a time when the issue of tech regulation has never been more contentious in the United States.
The new chairman, who has built a close relationship with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has vowed to take bold steps to dismantle what he calls the “censorship cartel” that he believes controls the flow of information on social media platforms.
“We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans,” Carr wrote in a post on Musk’s social media platform, X, following his nomination.
Carr’s stance against big tech is well-documented. He has repeatedly criticized the influence of major tech firms, accusing them of censoring conservative voices and suppressing free speech.
In a statement posted on X, he declared, “Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft & others have played central roles in the censorship cartel. This must be dismantled.”
Carr’s nomination is seen as a direct challenge to the current regulatory landscape, where tech companies have been allowed to operate with little oversight.
Carr’s outspoken views and his alignment with Trump’s vision for slashing regulations and punishing political bias in the media make him a controversial figure.
Many believe that his appointment will have a far-reaching impact on the way tech companies are regulated in the United States.
During his tenure as a commissioner at the FCC, Carr has been a consistent voice calling for more aggressive oversight of the tech industry. He was the senior Republican on the commission before being nominated as its chairman.
His rise within the FCC is a significant one. Carr first joined the commission in 2012, and in 2017, during Trump’s first term as president, he was appointed as one of the agency’s commissioners.
Carr’s nomination signals a shift in priorities for the FCC, particularly as Trump has made clear his intention to reduce the influence of big tech on public discourse.
In his nomination statement, Trump described Carr as a “warrior for Free Speech,” emphasizing that his leadership will help “end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s job creators and innovators.”
Carr’s tenure at the FCC has been marked by his opposition to what he perceives as overreach by the government in regulating the internet.
He has been particularly vocal about the FCC’s decision in 2020 to revoke a grant for Starlink, the satellite internet service backed by Musk, after the service was unable to prove it would reach enough rural homes.
Carr vociferously opposed that decision, arguing that it was a politically motivated attack on one of Musk’s businesses. He described it as “regulatory lawfare” and a deliberate attempt to stifle innovation.
“This amounted to nothing more than regulatory lawfare against one of the left’s top targets: Mr. Musk,” Carr wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece last month.
Carr’s stance on big tech has made him a controversial figure, but it has also earned him strong support among conservatives who believe that tech companies have too much control over public debate.
He has aligned himself with Trump’s calls to revoke licenses from broadcasters like CBS, which Trump has accused of political bias.
Carr’s influence on the FCC is expected to grow significantly, and he has already signaled his intent to push for stricter regulation of the largest tech companies.
In a chapter he authored for the Project 2025 document, a conservative vision for a second Trump administration, Carr outlined four major goals for the FCC, including curbing the power of big tech, promoting national security, unleashing economic prosperity, and ensuring accountability within the commission.
Carr’s relationship with Musk, who has become one of Trump’s wealthiest backers, is also a key element of his rise within the FCC.
Musk’s Starlink service, which has been at the center of regulatory battles, could benefit from Carr’s leadership, as Carr has been a strong proponent of satellite internet services and rural broadband expansion.
While Carr’s critics argue that his views are too extreme and could lead to increased censorship of the internet, his supporters see him as a necessary reformer who will bring accountability to the tech industry.
