He sets the tone. On the night of Sunday to Monday, a few hours after Donald Trump gave his name, Brendan Carr posted a message on next “to its promotion of DEI”, for diversity, equality and inclusion. “When it comes to the FCC’s promotion of DEI, I have only one thing to say: Afuera! », “Out”, he added a little later with an image of the far-right president of Argentina, Javier Milei, sending labels flying. To which Elon Musk responded with a fire icon.
This is what the future director of the American Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be tackling from January onwards, if he is confirmed by the Senate. Carr, supported by Elon Musk, is “a warrior for free speech,” praised Donald Trump in his nomination press release. And Carr took action: “we must dismantle the censorship cartel”, imposed according to him by the tech giants Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft, “and restore the right to freedom of expression of Americans” .
Since it is no longer responsible for defending Net neutrality – due to Trump during his first term, while he himself multiplied “fake news” – the FCC grants licenses for radio and television, regulates telephone costs and promotes the expansion of home Internet. Brendan Carr, 45, joined in 2012, and has been one of the commissioners since 2017, appointed to this position by Donald Trump during his first term. He had previously worked as a lawyer specializing in regulatory issues. On Friday, on The censorship cartel must be dismantled,” he stormed.
Created in 2018, NewsGuard is an international platform fighting against disinformation by offering from its Internet browser the exclusion of sites transmitting questionable or erroneous information. “NewsGuard has aggressively fact-checked and penalized websites that reported the Covid-19 lab leak theory,” Brendan Carr charged in a letter Friday.
Regulation is not the only mission of the FCC. For Donald Trump, Brendan Carr will also ensure “that the FCC meets the expectations of rural America.” Internet access in rural areas is the subject that earned Brendan Carr the support of Elon Musk, appointed by Donald Trump to head a commission for “governmental efficiency”. In 2022, the FCC revoked an $885 million subsidy that had been granted at the end of 2020 to Starlink, a satellite Internet service provider owned by Musk. This funding was supposed to bring high-speed internet to rural homes and businesses, but Starlink and the other company benefiting from these funds “failed to demonstrate that the providers were capable of providing the promised service” , had justified the FCC. Brendan Carr spoke out against this decision.
Like Thomas Homan, the “border czar” charged by Trump with implementing his promise to mass deport illegal immigrants, Carr collaborated on “Project 2025,” a nearly 900-page document written by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, and roadmap for the overhaul of the federal state under Donald Trump. The publication of this project sparked a strong reaction in American public opinion because of its ultra-conservative measures.
The FCC does not have sole authority to penalize television and radio stations for their editorial decisions, except for the use of obscenities and violations of children's television rules. But Carr's appointment, coupled with Musk's will, could have this consequence: during the campaign, Donald Trump threatened to withdraw their broadcasting licenses from CBS and ABC, which he accused of favoring Kamala Harris.
