WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump named Brendan Carr as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Sunday.
Carr, currently the top Republican commissioner, plays a critical role in the FCC, which oversees radio, television, and cable communications across the country.
“Commissioner Carr is a warrior for Free Speech,” Trump declared. “He has actively fought against regulatory Lawfare, which has stifled Americans’ Freedoms and hampered our Economy. Carr will dismantle the regulatory onslaught crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators and ensure the FCC serves rural America effectively.”
Carr detailed his vision for the FCC in Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint. In the FCC chapter, he emphasized priorities like “reining in Big Tech, promoting national security, unleashing economic prosperity, and ensuring FCC accountability and good governance.”
In his recommendations, Carr proposed banning TikTok unless it separates entirely from its China-based parent company. The issue highlights a broader debate, as Trump himself has expressed conflicting views about TikTok before joining the platform earlier this year.
Carr also called for Congress to revise Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. This provision grants social media companies limited immunity for content on their platforms and allows them to moderate harmful content in “good faith.”
“Congress must ensure that Internet companies can no longer censor protected speech while enjoying Section 230 protections,” Carr wrote in Project 2025.
The FCC consists of five commissioners, each serving five-year terms. Bipartisanship remains a cornerstone of the agency, with no more than three commissioners allowed from the same political party at any given time.