Brendan Kahl speaks during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee titled “Connecting America.”
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President-elect Trump said in a statement on Sunday that he will appoint Brendan Kahl, a critic of the Biden administration’s telecom policies and Big Tech companies, to serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Kahl, 45, is currently the top Republican at the FCC, an independent agency that regulates telecommunications.
He has been harshly critical of the FCC’s decision not to finalize nearly $900 million in broadband subsidies for Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite networking unit Starlink, as well as the Commerce Department’s $42 billion broadband infrastructure plan and President Joe Biden’s spectrum policies.
Last week, Carl wrote to Yuan Facebook, alphabet Google, apple and Microsoft saying they have taken steps to vet Americans. Kahl said Sunday that the FCC must “restore the free speech rights of ordinary Americans.”
The president-elect scoffs at disney ABC, Comcast NBC and Paramount Universal CBS said it could lose its FCC license for various actions. Trump is also suing CBS over its “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Carr criticized NBC for having Harris appear on “Saturday Night Live” just before the election.
Trump called on the FCC to revoke broadcast licenses during his first term, prompting then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to reject the idea, saying “the FCC does not have the authority to revoke a broadcast station’s license based on content.”
The FCC issues eight-year licenses to individual radio stations, not broadcast networks.
In 2022, Carr, a strong critic of China, became the first FCC member to visit Taiwan. He has been advocating for the FCC to take a tough stance against Chinese telecom companies.
Kahl strongly opposed the FCC’s decision in April to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules that were repealed during the first Trump administration. Biden’s FCC rules blocked by federal appeals court.
In January 2017, Trump nominated Carr to the FCC during his first administration. He had previously served as the FCC’s general counsel.
The incoming administration will need to nominate Republicans to fill seats on the five-member commission before it can take full control of the agency.
Trump said in a statement that Kahl “is a champion of free speech and has fought against regulatory laws that stifle American freedoms and hobble our economy.”
