Communications Daily Previews Telecom Policy Under a 2nd Trump Administration

Former President Donald Trump famously doesn't do policy detail, but this time around his senior advisers and self-described MAGA revolutionaries are doing it for him. Trump himself has repeatedly called for punishment of disfavored media, including FCC-licensed "fake news" outlets. But the specifics of the disruptions planned for policy and governance of telecom (along with many other sectors) are most explicitly framed in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, the massive policy prescription directed in part by Trump's past and presumably future advisers and appointees. Among contributors is FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, author of the chapter on the future of the agency and telecom policy as a whole. In this Comm Daily Special Report, published on the eve of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, our award-winning editorial team looks at the ideas and the people that would transform telecom in America if Donald Trump is returned to office. (Our counterpart examination of Democratic plans -- whether under a reelected President Joe Biden or someone else -- will appear in August.)

Matt Daneman, Jimm Phillips and Monty Tayloe write about Carr, the likely chair of a Republican-controlled FCC. Although fellow Commissioner Nathan Simington -- former President Donald Trump's handpicked choice on the agency -- is also a candidate, the telecommunications community consensus is a Carr-led FCC in the event of a Republican win. Read Daneman, Phillips and Tayloe’s story at (see 2407120002).

Daneman, Tayloe and Gabriella Novello also write about the initial activities of a Republican-controlled FCC. The agency would likely prioritize rolling back the current FCC's net neutrality and digital discrimination orders and taking actions against U.S. tech companies and China, as described in Carr’s chapter of the Project 2025 road map Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. The story also examines whether a Trump-controlled FCC is likely to punish news outlets critical of him. See Daneman, Novello and Tayloe’s story at (see 2407110034).

Phillips looks at the renomination chances for Simington, who appears likely to remain on the commission no matter which party wins the White House. Simington’s confirmation would likely be the first chance for senators to weigh in on any FCC structural changes proposed under a new Republican majority. Phillips' story can be read at (see 2407120035).

Howard Buskirk writes about the effects of a Republican win on the federal workforce, including the FCC, FTC and NTIA. As many as 50,000 federal employees could lose their jobs if the Trump administration sets about replacing them with MAGA supporters and the MAGA-adjacent, as he had begun to do at the end of his first term. Read Buskirk’s examination at (see 2407110054).

Adam Bender writes about state concerns over federal engagement with telecom policy under a Republican White House. Some state officials said a Trump administration might change rules for state grants under NTIA’s $42.5 billion broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program. Bender’s story is here (see 2407110015).

You can also find this Special Report’s stories online at: communicationsdaily.com.