Carr to be Next FCC Chair: What It Means for Telecom

President-elect Donald Trump announced he will appoint current Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr to be the next FCC chair. Here’s a few observations on what this is likely to mean for the telecommunications and broadband industry. Net Neutrality undoubtedly will be reversed again. Since its inception, it has come and gone, depending on which party is in the White House. A Republican commission under Carr could have another big impact that would be detrimental to big tech, according to a research note from Washington insider and National Broadband Plan author Blair Levin. Levin, now with NewStreet Research, noted that Carr has wanted the tech sector to pay into the Universal Service Fund (USF). Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world, is also the man behind SpaceX, which offers the Starlink LEO satellite service. And as Musk has become close to Trump, Trump may seek to establish telecommunications and broadband policies that favor Starlink.