Hill, The

Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) lifted his hold on Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr after the agency promised to prioritize rolling out funding for wireless broadband in rural areas. Sen Manchin announced the hold on Commissioner Carr the week of Dec 10 after the FCC announced it would pause the funding program while it conducts an investigation into coverage data submitted by major wireless carriers.

President Donald Trump went after tech giants Twitter, Facebook and Google, claiming they are “biased” against Republicans and have removed several conservative accounts from their platforms.  “Facebook, Twitter and Google are so biased toward the Dems it is ridiculous! Twitter, in fact, has made it much more difficult for people to join @realDonaldTrump. They have removed many names & greatly slowed the level and speed of increase. They have acknowledged-done NOTHING!” he said in a tweet. 

Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate Gigi Sohn said that the new Democratic-majority House will probe the handling of net neutrality by the Trump administration.  She noted that Democrats are “angry” with the Federal Communications Commission repealing the rules that protected consumers from slowing or blocking internet content.

Sen Joe Manchin (D-wV) has placed a hold on Commissioner Brendan Carr's renomination to the Federal Communications Commission in response to the FCC’s decision to pause a program that would fund wireless internet expansion in rural areas. Sen Manchin announced the hold on Carr's renomination a week after FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the agency’s Mobility Fund Phase II program would be suspended temporarily while regulators investigate whether major wireless carriers submitted false data on their coverage maps.