Brendan Carr appointed by Donald Trump to head the American telecoms and media regulator

UNITED STATES – Donald Trump has chosen a new “ Free Speech Warrior ». It is with these words written on Sunday, November 17 in a press release that the future President of the United States described Brendan Carr, current commissioner of the FCC, the American telecoms regulator of which he will take the helm after the inauguration of Donald Trump.

A member of the FCC since 2012, Brendan Carr became commissioner of this American institution in 2017, by decision of the Republican billionaire during his first term. Before that, he worked as a lawyer specializing in regulatory matters. It is therefore a new close friend of Donald Trump who was chosen to occupy an important position from January 20.

After the announcement of this decision, the new recruit of the 47th American president immediately set the tone for his future missions. “We must dismantle the censorship cartel”imposed according to him by the tech giants Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft, “and restore Americans’ right to free speech”he said on X, Elon Musk's social network, which also supports him. Prior to his appointment, he also stated that “Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft and others played a central role in the censorship cartel”.

“The Orwellian organization called NewsGuard, along with 'fact-checking' groups and advertising agencies, have helped enforce one-sided narratives. The censorship cartel must be dismantled »he added.

Defense of Elon Musk

Pour Donald Trump, Brendan Carr « will end the regulatory assault that has crippled America's job creators and innovators, and ensure the FCC meets the expectations of rural America”he assured in his nomination press release. It must be said that this last subject earned Brendan Carr the support of Elon Musk, recently appointed head of a commission for“governmental efficiency”.

Indeed, Brendan Carr stood out in 2022 by speaking out against a decision by the FCC, revoking a subsidy of $885 million which had been granted at the end of 2020 to Starlink, one of Elon Musk's companies specializing in satellite internet access. Funding that was supposed to bring high-speed internet to rural homes and businesses. According to the FCC, Starlink and the other company receiving these funds had not “failed to demonstrate that suppliers were capable of providing the promised service”the FCC had indicated.

In the middle of the presidential campaign, Brendan Carr then took up a platform in the Wall Street Journal to denounce “ a regulatory retaliatory measure against one of the main targets of the left: Elon Musk”. Enough to attract the sympathy of the richest man in the world, owner of SpaceX and Tesla.

“Project 2025” and closure of television channels

Brendan Carr's Trumpist CV doesn't stop there. Because his name is cited as the author of a chapter of “ 2025 project », the famous road map for the overhaul of the federal state in the event of Trump's victory on November 5. A document of nearly 900 pages written by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation.

Thus, Brendan Carr writes in his chapter that “the FCC must change course” et “achieve four primary goals: regain control of Big Tech, promote national security, unleash economic prosperity, and ensure FCC accountability and good governance”.

His appointment now official, the former lawyer could also cause serious consequences in the field of media. Because during his campaign against Kamala Harris, Donald Trump raised the idea of ​​withdrawing the broadcasting licenses of the CBS or ABC channels, responsible according to him for favoring his Democratic opponent.

These procedures, which are very complex to implement, would necessarily go through the FCC. This could greatly facilitate this newcomer from the Trump administration, who knows perfectly the workings of the telecoms and media control body.

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