Brendan Carr wants to preserve data caps, punish NBC, and give money to SpaceX.

Summary

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a staunch opponent of broadband regulation and net neutrality, is poised to lead the agency under Donald Trump’s presidency.

Carr’s agenda includes reducing regulations on ISPs, potentially forcing Big Tech companies to fund broadband projects, and targeting platforms like TikTok over national security concerns.

He also supports revisiting Section 230 to curb perceived anti-conservative bias in social media.

Critics warn Carr’s leadership could weaken consumer protections, undermine net neutrality, and enable political interference in communications policy, prioritizing industry and partisan goals over public interest.

    • Mirshe@lemmy.world
      681·
      5 days ago

      I believe him when he said he didn’t read it, because his staffers say he won’t read a goddamn thing unless it glowingly mentions him several times (or it’s a book of Hitler’s speeches). Trump himself has said he considers reading a waste of time.

      What I DO believe is that he’s being spoonfed lists of appointees by the Heritage Foundation.

  • ikidd@lemmy.worldEnglish
    31·
    5 days ago

    And let me guess, the public 915Mhz band will get sold to NextNav despite everyone’s objections.

    • Scolding7300@lemmy.world
      16·
      5 days ago

      For those like myself, wondering why is this significant, here’s a comment from Reddit:

      Here’s a long answer. To the first question, “What’s the significance of 915Mhz?”

      In the United States, all devices which emit electromagnetic energy (radio waves) are legally under the purview of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC publishes regulations which state the conditions that must be met to make these emissions legal. Most of the time, the rules primarily relate to the frequency and power of the radio waves being emitted. Secondarily, the intentions of the device owner are considered.

      So what’s special about 915 MHz under these rules? 915 MHz is the center frequency of a band of frequencies, stretching from 902 MHz to 928 MHz, which has been set aside for “Industrial, Scientific and Medicine” use (ISM). Subject to several other conditions, this band is free for anyone to use for nearly any legal purpose.

      This is unlike other frequencies, such as the band from 88 MHz to 108 MHz, which can only legally be used by commercial FM radio stations, and only then if they’ve received a license for the specific frequency they’ve been assigned and hired licensed engineers who ensure that the signal won’t interfere with any other licensed stations and obeys other technical requirements.

      There are other ISM bands beside 902-928 MHz. One of them is at 2.4 GHz, which make look familiar as well.

      • ikidd@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        5 days ago

        Also, as an amateur radio operator, it has a section reserved for amateur hacking that they’re just going to take away because someone asked for it. They have a “think of the children” argument they’re pandering about, but it’s all about line go up, of course.

  • Verdant Banana@lemmy.worldEnglish
    361·
    5 days ago

    US has already stopped investing in technology education (even people as young as 20 years old that walk in the shop here show no indication of technology education)

    Democracy does die in darkness in part due to loss of progress in technology

    • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
      11·
      5 days ago

      The lack of tech knowledge just comes from growing up with tech that just works and that’s much less open than it was back in the day. The same thing is happening everywhere.

        • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
          1·
          4 days ago

          I have good memories of upgrading the cpu in my 80s computer from a 386 to a 486. I was a kid, my friend had upgraded so I bought it 2nd hand off him.

        • Infynis@midwest.socialEnglish
          41·
          5 days ago

          It’s the truth, honestly. Just look at how smartphones have changed since the iPhone. Remember how it used to be a pretty common thing to switch wifi off and on to fix a connection issue? Or Airplane Mode? That was a troubleshooting step people learned naturally on the original smartphones because they had to. Personally I don’t even know where the Airplane Mode button is on my phone anymore. I can’t remember the last time I had to bounce my wifi. People just troubleshoot less now because stuff just works. We’re going to have to make an effort to keep up the skills for when they stop, or we’ll end up like a sci-fi civilization that can’t repair it’s crumbling ancient infrastructure

          • masterofn001@lemmy.ca
            2·
            5 days ago

            My sisters WiFi wouldn’t connect on a Samsung S20something.

            Went through ordinary steps.

            All failed to resolve.

            The solution:

            Change time date to manual, then back to automatic. For whatever reason, this was the fix.

            Most bizarre troubleshooting ever.

            I’m the type who’s of aa mind that anything can be fixed or repurposed. May not be pretty, but if it can still be used somehow it will.

  • Rapidcreek@lemmy.world
    92·
    5 days ago

    This should be good.

    And by good, I mean a flaming dumpster-fire shitshow of gross incompetence