The United States’ tech giants may need to brace themselves for the agenda of Brendan Carr, Donald Trump’s appointee as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Carr wasted no time making his stance clear after Trump announced his promotion to the FCC’s top spot last month. In a statement posted on X, the social media platform, Carr declared, “We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans.”
Just days before his appointment, Carr sent letters to the CEOs of Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Meta (META), and Apple (AAPL), warning of “broad-ranging actions to restore Americans’ First Amendment rights” once Trump takes office. Carr indicated that these actions might include reviews of their companies’ practices, as well as those of third-party organizations involved in limiting these rights.
In an effort to mend ties with the incoming Trump administration, some tech leaders have been proactive. Last week, for instance, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Carr has been a vocal critic of Big Tech, accusing companies like Alphabet-owned Google of manipulating search results, Meta-owned Facebook of unevenly moderating content, and TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, of threatening national security.
In a policy proposal known as Project 2025, Carr outlined his vision for a restructured FCC under a Republican administration. One key objective: dismantling the legal immunity provided by Section 230, which shields social media platforms from liability for user-generated content. Carr argues that tech corporations exploit this immunity and their market dominance to suppress diverse political opinions.
“Today, a handful of corporations control everything from the information we consume to the places we shop,” Carr wrote in the FCC-focused chapter of Project 2025. He contends that these companies benefit from a tilted playing field, often supported by government policies favoring their business models.
Carr has proposed that Congress not only revoke Section 230 protections but also enforce transparency rules akin to those applied to broadband providers. Social media companies, under these rules, would be required to publish clearer terms of service and establish appeal processes for content creators whose posts are removed.
Advocacy groups, such as Fight for the Future, have voiced concerns that Carr’s appointment could lead to the rollback of net neutrality rules. These rules, which Carr voted to repeal in 2017, ensure that internet service providers treat all data equally.
Carr has also stressed the need for stricter measures against national security threats posed by apps like TikTok and telecom firms such as Huawei and ZTE. He claims that platforms like TikTok enable Beijing to conduct influence campaigns in the U.S. through curated content seen by millions of Americans.
While Congress and President Joe Biden previously passed legislation banning TikTok under Chinese ownership, Trump has hinted he might attempt to soften the impact of this law if reelected.
Carr has called for updating the FCC’s “covered list” of telecom equipment manufacturers deemed security risks and closing loopholes that allow companies like China Telecom to operate unregulated data centers in the U.S.
Another significant proposal from Carr involves requiring Big Tech to contribute to the FCC’s $9 billion universal service fund, which supports affordable internet and rural connectivity. Currently funded primarily by telecommunications consumers, Carr believes tech companies should shoulder a fair share, given their reliance on federally supported networks to deliver their services.
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