Trump’s FCC chief reveals priorities, including space economy dominance

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, delivered his first major speech in his new role with the Trump administration, announcing six priorities he plans to focus on during his tenure, including pushing the United States to dominate the “space economy.”

“Continuing to move vertically from the ground to the airwaves. Next up is space,” Carr said during a speech in South Dakota Wednesday afternoon. “The Build America agenda will expand America’s space economy. The Final Frontier is home to an emerging constellation of satellites that have become an essential part of America’s economic and geopolitical strategy. So I want to see U.S. companies dominate in orbit.

“Our efforts on this front will be driven by a few key guiding principles: speed, simplicity, security and satellite spectrum abundance,” Carr continued. 

Carr served as an FCC commissioner since 2017, before Trump tapped him to serve as the agency’s chair as of Trump’s inauguration in January. Carr traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Wednesday to deliver his speech at the headquarters of a telecommunications infrastructure construction company called VIKOR.

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The speech was dubbed the “Build America Agenda” and outlined six priorities the Federal Communications Commission will tackle under Carr’s leadership. 

On the topic of dominating the space economy, Carr said the FCC is already making progress. 

The FCC is “clearing backlogs of applications for satellite systems,” he said. “And this type of acceleration is certainly needed. In fact, if you look back over the past couple of years, it actually took a faster amount of time for America’s innovators and entrepreneurs to build and launch satellite constellations, than it would take for federal agencies in Washington to process the paperwork necessary to approve those launches. But that ends here.” 

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“The Build America agenda will inject rocket fuel into our licensing process by standardizing our reviews through more objective metrics, protecting America’s orbital advantage for years to come,” he said.

Carr outlined that the other five priorities include: unleashing high-speed infrastructure builds, restoring America’s leadership in wireless, cutting red tape and modernizing FCC operations, advancing national security and public safety and strengthening America’s workforce.

The FCC chief remarked that the FCC still has rules on the books related to the use of telegraphs and “rabbit ear broadcast TV receivers” and that his leadership will clear the agency of outdated guidance and focus on the future.

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“The FCC right now still has rules on the books regulating telegraph service, rabbit ear broadcast TV receivers and phone booths,” he said. “Starting next month, that will change, and doing so in eliminating those outdated rules, the FCC will move directly to delete 40 rules or requirements, and over 7,000 words from the Code of Federal Regulations. A good step forward.” 

Carr said that he and President Donald Trump are focused on keeping America as a tech leader, including broadening its 5G capabilities and beating China in the artificial intelligence race. 

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“One of the very first actions that I took when I became chairman of the FCC was to establish a new council on National Security within the agency,” he said. “Our Build Agenda will ensure that the U.S. extends its lead over China in the race for critical technologies. Whether it’s 5G, 6G or AI, we’re going to do so by making sure that U.S. businesses and the standards they set continue to be the gold standard for businesses all across the world.”