As one of the agency's five Senate-confirmed commissioners who serve staggered five-year terms, Carr is currently the senior Republican at the FCC.

The position of FCC chair is designated by the president from among the pool of confirmed commissioners, and does not require another Senate confirmation.

Carr was nominated as FCC commissioner by both Trump and President Joe Biden, serving across both administrations.

"I first nominated Commissioner Carr to the FCC in 2017, and he has been confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate three times," Trump said in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform. "His current term runs through 2029 and, because of his great work, I will now be designating him as permanent Chairman."

"Commissioner Carr is a warrior for Free Speech, and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans' Freedoms, and held back our Economy," the president-elect said. "He will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America's Job Creators and Innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.

[ZH] Most recently, Carr has set his sights on the relationship between 'news health rating' organization NewsGuard and Big Tech.

"Congratulations to Chairman Brendan Carr on a job well done. Lead us into a great future, Brendan!"

According to the FCC's website, Carr led the agency's efforts to update its infrastructure rules to "cut billions of dollars in red tape" and "accelerate the buildout of high-speed [5G] networks" through private sector participation. He is also the champion of the FCC's "Connected Care Pilot Program" telehealth initiative for low-income Americans and veterans, as well as a jobs initiative through community colleges that promotes apprenticeships "as a pipeline for good-paying 5G jobs."

Before he was confirmed and ascended to FCC commissioner, Carr served as the FCC's general counsel and adviser to then-FCC chairman Ajit Pai.

Carr thanked Trump for the appointment.

"I am humbled and honored to serve as Chairman of the FCC," he wrote on the X social media platform. "Now we get to work."