US President-elect Donald Trump has named "big tech" critic Brendan Carr to lead the US communications regulator, after he takes office in January 2025.

Carr has attacked what he sees as the censorship of conservative viewpoints by top social media firms other than X, a site owned by his ally and fellow Trump backer, Elon Musk.

He authored a chapter of Project 2025 - a "wish list" for a second Trump presidency by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Trump has distanced himself from the document.

Announcing Carr's promotion to chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an agency on which he has served for years, Trump called him a "warrior for free speech".

The president-elect also said his appointee had "fought against the regulatory lawfare that has stifled Americans’ freedoms, and held back our economy".

Writing on X, Carr said he was "humbled and honoured" to take the role, and would set about his plan to "dismantle the censorship cartel".