00:00President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Brendan Carr to lead the Federal Communications Commission in his second administration,
00:07elevating the Republican official who has been outspoken about his support for Elon Musk's businesses,
00:12suggesting a potential financial benefit for Musk if he is confirmed.
00:16Carr, who already serves as one of five FCC commissioners, has been named to become the chair of the commission,
00:22which manages telecommunications like radio, television, and the internet.
00:27He has regularly spoken out in favor of Musk and his companies, particularly Starlink,
00:32a subsidiary of SpaceX that provides satellite internet services,
00:36accusing the Biden administration of regulatory harassment against Musk's companies in 2023.
00:42Carr has suggested he would take a more positive stance towards Starlink as FCC chair,
00:47telling Politico in October he thinks it would be fair to get Starlink back into the agency's broadband program.
00:53Musk's companies do extensive business with the federal government,
00:56and Starlink stands to financially benefit from a friendly FCC leader,
01:00after the company previously lost out on $885 million in rural broadband subsidies under the agency's current Democrat-controlled board.
01:09Carr downplayed his alliance with Musk to Politico,
01:12saying his social media posts praising the billionaire are, quote,
01:15"...pretty consistent with what I've done for the last four years."
01:18The commissioner also claimed he's more interested in boosting satellite broadband more broadly
01:23than wanting to benefit Starlink specifically.
01:26Carr is a Republican who has long pushed a more conservative vision for the FCC,
01:30claiming in recent days he wants to dismantle a censorship cartel biased against Trump.
01:35He also said he wants to rein in the administrative state,
01:38referring to regulatory agencies and decisions that Republicans believe are too far-reaching,
01:43and abolish diversity initiatives, among other proposals.
01:46For more on this story, read Alison Durkee's story in the link in the description.
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