Brendan Carr Is Officially In Charge Of The Fcc

Brendan Carr is now formally nan chair of nan Federal Communications Commission, giving him nan powerfulness to group nan agency’s schedule and usher done a large of regulations pinch awesome implications for nan tech and media industries arsenic soon arsenic he has a Republican majority.

In a statement, Carr named a less areas of focus: “issues ranging from tech and media regularisation to unleashing caller opportunities for jobs and maturation done agency actions connected spectrum, infrastructure, and nan abstraction economy.”

Carr’s priorities mightiness too beryllium gleaned from a archive you mightiness personification already heard about: Project 2025. That’s because he authored nan FCC conception of nan Heritage Foundation’s wishlist for a Donald Trump presidency. In that chapter, Carr proposes actions including: limiting immunity for tech companies nether Section 230 of nan Communications Decency Act, requiring disclosures astir really platforms prioritize content, requiring tech companies to net into a programme that costs broadband entree successful agrarian areas, and overmuch quickly approving applications to motorboat satellites from companies for illustration Elon Musk’s StarLink.

Carr too wrote astir protecting nan US from accusation threats stemming from China, including by addressing “TikTok’s threat to nationalist security.” Whether that’s point Carr takes up arsenic chair now seems overmuch successful doubt, arsenic Trump has changed his tune connected nan app’s threat to nan US. While Trump was nan first to effort to prohibition TikTok from nan US, he’s now positioning himself arsenic its savior — putting China and TikTok hawk Carr successful a tricky position.

The caller FCC chair has too indicated that he could usage his powerfulness to revoke spectrum licenses for networks complete their decisions to large speech, erstwhile he deems it a usurpation of nan adjacent clip rule. This came up successful a scuffle astir NBC’s hosting of Kamala Harris connected “Saturday Night Live” earlier nan predetermination — though nan web seemed to comply pinch nan rules for giving candidates akin clip and placement connected nationalist airwaves by offering Trump an value connected aerial later on.

Regardless, Carr will petition a 3rd Republican ballot connected nan committee to o.k. immoderate measures that are not bipartisan successful nature. Trump has nominated Mark Meador, a erstwhile staffer to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), to subordinate nan commission, pending Senate confirmation.

Trump’s prime to lead nan Federal Trade Commission is too now successful place. Andrew Ferguson, who was already serving arsenic a commissioner, has a reported schedule that echoes parts of Carr’s. It includes a desire to “hold ample tech accountable and extremity censorship,” and too to “protect authorities of reside and conflict wokeness.”