FCC under Trump will target Big Tech bias

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Under the future Trump Administration, a top priority for the Federal Communications Commission will be "reigning in Big Tech."

The man tapped to lead the agency, current F.C.C. Commissioner Brendan Carr, recently posted on X, "We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans.”

Despite a more hands-off approach recently by companies like Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, Republicans have long insisted Big Tech censors conservative voices.

This includes when then-Twitter blocked, and Facebook suppressed, stories related to Hunter Biden's Laptop. Or, suppressing COVID-19 vaccine policies, which some government officials worried would lead to more transmission or death from the virus.

In an Oct. 2022 interview with The Kevin Roberts Show, produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation, Carr said, "As a conservative, I do think that there is a role for the government to play with respect to content moderation, but it's a balance."

In other realms he’s promotedderegulation, arguing that consumers should be able to choose their own online fact-checkers and is expected to relax rules on TV station ownership, with industry leaders celebrating his appointment as a boon for business.

Carr recently accused NBC of violating the equal time rule when Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on the network's Saturday Night Live just before the election In response, the network gave President-elect Donald Trump TV time following a NASCAR race and Sunday Night Football.

Critics worry Trump’s disdain for traditional TV networks could make them a target over the next four years. After his debate with Harris, which polls show viewers thought he lost, he suggested ABC should lose their license, during an interview with Fox and Friends the next day.

Some insist that as of now at least, the F.C.C. has limited power when it comes to Big Tech.

In an interview with The National News Desk Monday, President of Free Press Craig Aaron said, "In order to do the kinds of things that Chairman Carr is hinting at, he would need a lot more Congressional authority. The F.C.C. shouldn’t be in content-regulating business. They’re in charge of handing out broadcast licenses. They’re in charge of making sure consumers don’t get ripped off by their cable television or their phone company."

While Trump has pivoted on his support of banning TikTok in the United States, even suggesting he'd save it, Commissioner Carr appears to be in favor of a ban.

As the author of the FCC section of Project 2025, he details the national security threat it and Chinese telecom as a whole poses to the country.