Donald Trump wants to chase the giants Internet. This Sunday, the president-elect of USA chose Brendan Carra Republican very critical of large technology companies, as the new president of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent agency charged with regulating telecommunications by radio, television or wireless networks.
Carr, 45, has promised to wage war on the “censorship cartel” that, according to him, forms Apple, Meta (Facebook), Alphabet (Google) y Microsoftwhom he accuses of silencing conservatives. These companies, he considers, pose a threat to “individual freedom” in USA through their “attempts to expel diverse political views from the digital town square.”
Trump’s pick has detailed his aggressive program against the heavyweights of Silicon Valley in it Project 2025a controversial agenda prepared by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation which proposes an unprecedented expansion of presidential power that could limit the democratic system in the country. “Commissioner Carr is a warrior of freedom of expression and has fought against regulatory war that has stifled American freedoms and slowed our economy“says Trump’s statement.
Criticism and possible retaliation
Over the past few months, Carr has been vocally opposed to the administration’s policies. Bidensuch as the program that allocates 42,000 million dollars to extend the connection of broadband by the USA. He has also criticized that the FCC, of which he has been commissioner since 2017, has decided not to grant subsidies of almost 900 million dollars for satellite Internet services in SpaceXthe company run by Elon Musk.
Trump sees in Carr an ally who, in command of the FCC, could take retaliation against several television networks, such as ABC or CBS, which he denounced for the interview that the program 60 Minutes made the vice president Kamala Harris. Carr has criticized NBC for allowing the Democratic presidential candidate to appear on Saturday Night Live.
In addition to the presidency, the FCC has a governance commission made up of five members. The Trump administration will need to appoint a new Republican commissioner to fill the void left by Carr in order to take full control of the agency.
During his first term, Trump tried to revoke the broadcasting licenses of several networks. However, then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai —appointed by Barack Obama— rejected that request, stating that the agency “has the authority to revoke a broadcast station’s license based on content.”
