Brendan Carr Picked as FCC Chairman with Implications for the Telecom Industry

President Elect Donald Trump has selected Brendan Carr to take over the FCC as chairman, per an announcement made on Sunday.

The decision came as no surprise to many. Carr was appointed to the FCC in 2017 and was the senior Republican at the the agency.

Carr's politics are closely aligned with the Trump administration's stated agenda, and Carr's priorities are based around claims of big tech "censorship," as well as taking aim at DEI policies.

While Sunday's announcement appeared focused on "censorship" concerns and regulation more broadly, rather than specific telecom issues, Carr's positions on those topics are also consistent with Trump's leanings, as well as Republican sentiments towards issues such as Net Neutrality.

Notably, Carr was the author of a chapter of the Project 2025 policy document from the Heritage Foundation. That document became a lightning rod during campaign season, with critics pointing to concerns of authoritarian sentiment, causing Trump to attempt to distance himself from it.

Nevertheless, Carr wrote the FCC chapter of the document, where he touched on many points, including Big Tech's power and broadband and spectrum regulation.

Where do Carr and Trump differ?

Despite the policy alignment, there are issues where stated priorities differ between Trump and Carr, for example, the issue of shutting down TikTok.

TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing app, became enough of a security concern that Biden signed a bill earlier in 2024 to ban the app or force a sale to a U.S. company citing digital security.

Brendan Carr has supported a Tik Tok ban. Trump, however, has flip-flopped, first supporting the ban, now pledging to save it.

BEAD and Starlink

Of more pressing concern for the telecom industry is BEAD and Starlink. The BEAD program is not directly administered by the FCC, but rather the Department of Commerce. Nevertheless, Carr is critical of DEI policies and other hot-button issues that factor into BEAD funding.

And Carr's defense on LEO satellite, in particular Starlink, when it comes to federal funding could affect BEAD and other funding programs, with BEAD favoring fiber over "alternative technologies."

Trump's relationship with Elon Musk is believed to only strengthen this dynamic, with the potential for satellite broadband to take a bigger role under a Trump administration.