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Brendan Carr, President-elect Trump's nominee to be Federal Communications Commission chair, would have significant influence over issues concerning satellite networks like those owned by billionaire Elon Musk. | Photo by Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
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By Suzanne Potter, Producer
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Brendan Carr to lead the Federal Communications Commission is raising red flags among groups that advocate for a free press and consumer protections.
Carr is currently the top Republican on the Federal Communications Commission.
Craig Aaron, president of Free Press, a national public interest group that acts as an FCC watchdog, said Carr has already refused to condemn Mr. Trump’s calls to pull the broadcast license of the ABC television network.
“That should be an easy question for an FCC chair to answer: Are you going to go after ABC’s broadcast license because they fact-checked the debate? The correct answer is, ‘No, that’s ridiculous,'” Aaron stressed. “And what Brendan Carr essentially said testifying in Congress was, ‘Well, I’d have to look at it.’ That’s not the answer you want.”
The FCC regulates radio, television and cable communications, so its decisions have big implications for Californians, and all Americans. Carr also wrote the Project 2025 chapter on media issues, saying the FCC should rein in big tech, promote national security and emphasize prosperity and FCC accountability. Under President Joe Biden, the FCC has strengthened consumer protections and approved net neutrality rules.
Aaron worries protections will go out the window and fears the FCC will change the rules to allow mega-mergers of media companies.
“If you just allow the cronies of the administration to buy up these local TV stations, networks, infrastructure, then that’s another way you can take control,” Aaron contended. “And Brendan Carr’s never met a media merger he didn’t like.”
The position of FCC chair does not require Senate confirmation, so Carr is likely to be appointed. However, any future vacancies would require Senate approval.
