Trump 2.0 cabinet: Brendan Carr to be chairperson of Federal Communications Commission
File photo of Brendan Carr (seen on the left side wearing a purple tie). Photograph:( Reuters )
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Carr, 45, is currently the top Republican on the FCC, the independent agency that regulates telecommunications. Trump nominated Carr to the FCC during his first administration in January 2017.
Carr, 45, is currently the top Republican on the FCC, the independent agency that regulates telecommunications. Trump nominated Carr to the FCC during his first administration in January 2017.
United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday (Nov 17) that he would appoint Brendan Carr, a critic of the outgoing Biden administration's telecom policies and Big Tech, as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Carr, 45, is currently the top Republican on the FCC, the independent agency that regulates telecommunications. Trump nominated Carr to the FCC during his first administration in January 2017, after he had served as the FCC's general counsel.
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He is a strong critic of China. In 2022, Carr became the first FCC commissioner to visit Taiwan.
Carr is a warrior for free speech: Trump
In a statement published on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said on Sunday that Carr was a warrior for free speech. Carr "has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans' Freedoms, and held back our economy," Trump said.
"He will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America's job creators and innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America," the president-elect added.
Who is Brendan Carr?
Carr has been a lawyer by profession. He was born on January 5, 1979, in Washington DC. He did his Bachelor of Arts in government from Georgetown University, and later pursued a degree in law from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
A report by the news agency Reuters on Sunday said that Carr has been a harsh critic of the FCC's decision not to finalise nearly $900 million in broadband subsidies for Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite internet unit Starlink, as well as the Commerce Department's $42 billion broadband infrastructure program and President Joe Biden's spectrum policy.
Last week, Carr wrote to Meta's Facebook, Alphabet's Google, Apple, and Microsoft, saying they had taken steps to censor Americans. Carr said on Sunday the FCC must "restore free speech rights for everyday Americans."
He also criticised NBC for letting Harris appear on "Saturday Night Live" just before the election.
(With inputs from agencies
