Carr has built an alliance with billionaire Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet service could benefit from federal funding. He has also publicly agreed with the incoming Trump administration's promises to slash regulation and punish television networks for perceived political bias. Carr first joined the FCC in 2012 and was appointed as one of the agency’s commissioners by Trump in 2017.
Key takeaways:
- US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Brendan Carr, a critic of big tech backed by Elon Musk, to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
- Carr has previously opposed regulatory lawfare and has called for the dismantling of the "censorship cartel" of major tech companies.
- He has built an alliance with Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet service could benefit from federal funding. Carr opposed the revocation of an $885 million grant to Starlink by the FCC.
- Carr has also agreed with the Trump administration's promises to slash regulation and punish television networks for perceived political bias, and has called for the regulation of major tech companies in a document outlining a vision for a second Trump administration.