“A warrior of freedom of expression. » This is how Donald Trump presents Brendan Carr in the press release announcing, on Sunday, November 17, the latter’s appointment as head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the US telecommunications regulator.
With the support of Elon Musk, Brendan Carr reacted quickly on X: “We must dismantle the censorship sign”imposed according to him by the technological giants Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft, “and restore Americans’ right to free speech”.
Brendan Carr, 45, has worked at the FCC since 2012 and has been one of its commissioners since 2017, appointed to this position by Donald Trump during the Republican president’s first term. He had previously worked as a lawyer specializing in regulatory matters.
“Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft and others played a central role in the censorship cartel”He had already declared on Friday, also on the X channel. “The Orwellian organization called NewsGuard, along with ‘fact-checking’ groups and advertising agencies, have helped impose one-sided narratives. We must dismantle the censorship poster »he added.
The delicate issue of rural areas
By Donald Trump, Brendan Carr “End the regulatory assault that has crippled America’s job creators and innovators and ensure the FCC meets the expectations of rural America”He also stated in his press release.
Internet access in rural areas is the issue that earned Brendan Carr the support of Elon Musk, appointed by Donald Trump to head a commission to“government efficiency”.
In fact, in 2022, the FCC revoked a subsidy of 885 million dollars (approximately 840 million euros) that it had granted at the end of 2020 to Starlink, a satellite Internet access provider, and one of Elon Musk’s companies. . This funding was supposed to bring high-speed Internet to rural homes and businesses, but Starlink and the other company benefited from these funds. “failed to demonstrate that suppliers were capable of providing the promised service”the FCC said. Brendan Carr later spoke out against this decision.
On October 14, while the election campaign was in full swing, he mentioned this decision in an article published in the Wall Street Journal : “In my opinion, this is nothing more than a retaliatory regulatory measure against one of the main targets of the left: Mr. Musk”.
“The FCC must change course”
Brendan Carr is also the author of the telecommunications chapter of “Project 2025,” a nearly 900-page document developed by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, and a roadmap for federal state reform under Donald Trump.
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“The FCC must change course” AND “achieve four primary goals: regain control of Big Tech, promote national security, unleash economic prosperity, and ensure FCC accountability and good governance”wrote there.
His appointment could also have consequences in the media sphere. During his campaign, Donald Trump threatened to withdraw the broadcasting licenses of the CBS and ABC channels, which he accused of favoring Kamala Harris, very complex procedures that would go through the FCC.
