OTI Responds to Commissioner Brendan Carr’s Selection as FCC Chairman

In response to President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he has selected Commissioner Brendan Carr to serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Open Technology Institute (OTI), a New America program fostering equitable access to digital technology and its benefits, issued the following statement from Lilian Coral, head of OTI and the vice president of the Technology and Democracy programs at New America.

Access to the open internet and digital technologies is critical to a functioning democracy, and it would be a mistake for the Commission to abandon progress on reestablishing meaningful industry oversight, addressing the homework gap, and closing the digital divide.

We fiercely disagree with many of Commissioner Carr’s positions and statements. While we congratulate the Commissioner on his selection as chair of the FCC and hope to find areas of agreement where we can work together, we will continue to defend policies that promote competition, protect consumers, and hold large phone and cable companies accountable.