Trump taps Big Tech critic Brendan Carr to lead communications agency | Technology

The Republican has accused major tech platforms of operating a ‘censorship cartel’.

United States President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Brendan Carr, a Republican known for criticism of Big Tech, to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Carr, who has served as an FCC commissioner since 2017, will end the “regulatory onslaught” that has held back job creators and innovators and ensure that the communications agency delivers for rural areas, Trump said in a statement on Sunday.

“Commissioner Carr is a warrior for free speech, and has fought against the regulatory lawfare that has stifled Americans’ freedoms, and held back our economy,” Trump said.

Carr, who has echoed Trump’s concerns about censorship by social media platforms, reiterated the need to prioritise free speech following the president-elect’s announcement.

“We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans,” Carr said in a post on X.

While the FCC regulates radio and TV, and broadband internet services, Carr has called for the agency to adopt a broader remit that includes overseeing big tech companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.

In a chapter for “Project 2025,” a blueprint for overhauling the federal government produced by The Heritage Foundation, Carr argued that Section 230 of the Communications Act should be limited to crack down on what conservatives say is widespread viewpoint discrimination by tech platforms.

In a statement congratulating Trump on his election victory earlier this month, Carr said the agency would have an important role to play “reining in Big Tech” and “ensuring that broadcasters operate in the public interest”.

Before the election, Carr made headlines when he accused NBC of violating “equal time” rules by inviting Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris onto Saturday Night Live and suggested that networks that commit “egregious” violations of broadcasting standards could be stripped of their licence.

Liberals have expressed alarm at Carr’s views, arguing that Section 230, which shields internet providers from liability over the content they carry, is essential to a free and open internet.

“When people tell you what they plan to do, you should believe them. Brendan Carr has clearly stated that he plans to attack Section 230 and force online platforms to carry sludge,” Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the centre-left trade group Chamber of Progress Founder, said in a statement.

“That’s why Democrats need to defend Section 230, which protects content moderation and keeps the Internet from becoming a cesspool.”

Max Burns, a Democratic strategist, said that Carr was aligned with Trump’s plans to use the FCC as a “weapon against news networks the president doesn’t like”.

“Get ready,” Burns said in a post on X.

The FCC currently has a three-two Democratic majority, but Trump will have a chance to tilt the body in favour of Republicans when Biden appointee Jessica Rosenworcel’s five-year term ends next year.