Incoming US President Donald Trump wants to appoint Brendan Carr, a staunch opponent of big IT companies, as the head of the US telecommunications regulator FCC. He made it public through his account on his social network Truth Social and described Carr as a “fighter for free expression”. He is referring to the perception that major internet platforms deliberately suppress statements and accounts associated with the Republican Party. Carr described himself as “humbled and honored” by the immediately announced appointment and stated the need to immediately “dismantle the censorship cartel” and “restore the free speech rights of Americans.”
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Trump wants to make a staunch rival of big IT companies the head of FCC
conflict with industry
Carr has been a member of the FCC Commission since Donald Trump’s first term. The authority itself states that in its role it contributed to modernizing infrastructure regulations and accelerating the expansion of high-speed networks. Furthermore, the reforms he initiated have reduced bureaucracy by billions of US dollars. According to a report in The New York Times, busy American billionaire and future government advisor Elon Musk has spoken in favor of Carr’s appointment. Trump said Carr “fought against laws that have stifled Americans’ freedoms and slowed our economy.” It would eliminate many of the regulations that cripple innovators.
According to Washington Post Carr began his new role before Trump’s announcement. He sent a letter to Apple boss Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Microsoft boss Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai of Alphabet (Google) and warned them that their companies would unfairly censor certain views. . According to the American newspaper, people in the US have experienced an unprecedented increase in censorship and “their companies have played a significant role in this unacceptable behavior.” Therefore, Carr is also considered a staunch opponent of TikTok and supports the plan to ban it.
Carr also owns television stations. The FCC, among other things, issues broadcasting licenses for radio and television in the United States. During the election campaign, Trump often threatened to take action against political opponents if he won the election, appointing special investigators against them, convicting them and even jailing them, including journalists. He regularly describes the media as the “enemy of the people” and wants to cancel the licenses of unwanted broadcasters.
(mho)
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