Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), denounced the agency’s decision to deny Elon Musk‘s Starlink nearly $900 million in subsidies to bring broadband access to rural areas in America. The company was awarded the subsidies, covering a 10-year span, at auction in 2020.
With its decision, Carr says the FCC has joined a “growing list” of agencies that given “the green light” by President Biden to “go after” billionaire Musk, who controls the social media platform X, SpaceX, and the satellite brand Starlink, which provides internet coverage to more than 65 countries.
According to Carr, that list of agencies includes the “DOJ, FAA, FTC, NLRB, SDNY, & FWS” — which have all “taken action,” he writes.
President Biden stood at a White House podium & stated that Elon Musk “is worth being looked at.”
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) December 13, 2023
When asked "How?", President Biden responded “There’s a lot of ways.”
There certainly are. The DOJ, FAA, FTC, NLRB, SDNY, & FWS have all taken action.
The FCC now joins them.
Carr’s dissent comes after an announcement Tuesday that the FCC upheld its denial of $885.5 million in government subsidies to Starlink, which was to deliver broadband service to rural areas across 35 states.
In announcing the decision, FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said: “The FCC followed a careful legal, technical and policy review to determine that this applicant had failed to meet its burden.”
According to Carr’s official letter of dissent (see below), the FCC made up “an entirely new standard of review that no entity could ever pass.”
Last year, after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, President Biden gave federal agencies the green light to go after him.
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) December 12, 2023
And they have.
Today, the FCC adds itself to the growing list of federal agencies engaging in the regulatory harassment of Elon Musk.
I dissent. pic.twitter.com/1zEoGCwiNk
Carr wrote on X: “President Biden stood at a White House podium & stated that Elon Musk ‘is worth being looked at.’ When asked ‘How?’, President Biden responded ‘There’s a lot of ways.’ There certainly are. The DOJ, FAA, FTC, NLRB, SDNY, & FWS have all taken action. The FCC now joins them.”
When Elon Musk’s mother, model Maye Musk, read Carr’s post, she replied: “I am the mother of Elon Musk. His goal is to make this world a better place. POTUS wants to stop him. Have you any idea how furious I am? People in other countries are proud of Elon and do not understand the US President’s motive. Please tell me how I should answer them.”
I am the mother of @elonmusk His goal is to make this world a better place. @POTUS wants to stop him. Have you any idea how furious I am? People in other countries are proud of Elon and do not understand the US President’s motive. Please tell me how I should answer them. https://t.co/lPGcMvW5kz
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) December 13, 2023
Note: Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Carr publicly accused social media platforms of being biased against the Trump reelection campaign, and in 2022 he opposed efforts to block the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk.
