Currently serving as the most senior Republican commissioner at the FCC and is a staunch critic of several Biden administration proposals around broadband projects.
The Trump Transition team described Carr in a statement as a “warrior for free speech.”
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“[Carr] will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s job creators and innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America,” the transition team said.
Carr was nominated to become an FCC commissioner during Trump’s first administration, before President Biden extended his term to June 2028.
Carr will now serve as the FCC’s permanent chair, replacing Jessica Rosenworcel, whose term ends in 2025. Carr said he was “humbled and honoured” to take on the role.
Trump’s new FCC previously voiced dismay over the agency’s delay in awarding the Elon Musk-owned satellite firm Starlink with millions of dollars in broadband subsidies.
He previously wrote that the Biden administration engaged in “regulatory harassment” of Musk and that its decision not to revoke Starlink subsidies “prioritised political and ideological goals at the expense of connecting Americans.”
Carr has also been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s broadband infrastructure programme, claiming the government spent too much time studying the impact of releasing more spectrum than making new connectivity available.
He also took issue with Kamala Harris’ appearance on Saturday Night Live right before the election, saying it was a “clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.”
Hours after the Trump transition team published its announcement, Carr posted on X (Twitter) that the FCC will “end its promotion of Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).”
Carr also shared a viral video of Argentinian President Javier Milei ripping off the names of government departments he wants to cut, as part of cost-cutting measures.
