Trump Says Carr Will Be Permanent FCC Chairman Starting Jan. 20
President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday night he will name Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr as permanent chairman when he takes office Jan. 20, as expected. Communications sector officials and lobbyists have long pointed to Carr as the prohibitive favorite to take over the gavel if Trump won the election. Carr in part has benefited from strong ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who will play a role via Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency in recommending a potentially major structural revamp of federal agencies. Musk recently spoke in favor of Carr’s elevation to the chairmanship in conversations with members of Trump’s team, lobbyists told us.
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Carr thanked Trump Sunday night for the appointment, saying he’s “humbled and honored to serve” as FCC chairman. “Now we get to work,” Carr said.
Trump cited Carr’s “great work” since becoming a commissioner in 2017 and the fact his current term “runs through 2029” as reasons he should take over the gavel. The Senate most recently confirmed Carr to a new term last year in conjunction with reupping Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Carr’s current term technically expires June 30, 2028, but he can remain on the commission through Jan. 3, 2030, absent Senate confirmation of another nominee.
Carr “is a warrior for Free Speech, and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy,” Trump said. “He will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.” Carr sided with Trump in multiple tussles with broadcast networks during the 2024 presidential campaign, in part claiming that NBC violated the FCC’s equal time rule by allowing Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to appear earlier this month on Saturday Night Live.