FCC chair to step down on Trump's inauguration

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced Wednesday she will depart the regulatory agency on Inauguration Day when President-elect Trump returns to the White House.

Her departure from the post and the FCC was largely expected, with the announcement coming just days after Trump revealed he tapped Commissioner Brendan Carr as the agency's next permanent chair.

Rosenworcel, a Democrat, began at the FCC in 2012 and was named the permanent FCC chair in October 2021 under President Biden, making her the first woman to hold the permanent position.

"I want to thank President Biden for entrusting me with the responsibility to guide the FCC during a time when communications technology is a part of every aspect of civic and commercial life," Rosenworcel wrote in a statement.

The FCC is an independent agency regulating TV and radio broadcasters, telephone and internet service providers and satellites.

She recounted how her start as the FCC's permanent chair was during the height of the pandemic, which "made clear how important the work of the FCC is and how essential it is for us to build a digital future that works for everyone."

“I am proud to have served at the FCC alongside some of the hardest working and dedicated public servants I have ever known," she continued.

Rosenworcel touted the FCC's creation of the largest broadband affordability program, which connected more than 23 million households to high-speed internet, and the establishment of the first-ever Space Bureau focused on the agency's space policy.

She also led the push to restore net neutrality rules, which forced principal internet service providers to treat all information that travels through their networks equally.

The rules, first approved in 2015, were repealed under Trump in 2017. Under Rosenworcel's leadership, the commission voted earlier this year to restore the rules, which are now being challenged in court.

Carr, who has served as an FCC commissioner since 2017, will take over Rosenworcel's post upon confirmation by the Senate. Upon her departure, Trump will appoint another commissioner, paving the way for a Republican majority.

The FCC can have no more than three members of one political party under federal law.

Carr is a known critic of Big Tech and media companies and is largely expected to try to usher in drastic change when it comes to these companies' freedoms.

Trump on Sunday said Carr has “fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms and held back our Economy.”

“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,” he added.

Carr laid out his priorities shortly after Trump’s victory, writing in a statement, “When the transition is complete, the FCC will have an important role to play reining in Big Tech, ensuring that broadcasters operate in the public interest, and unleashing economic growth while advancing our national security interests and supporting law enforcement.”

He also said last week that the “censorship cartel must be dismantled,” calling out major tech companies for allegedly playing a “central role” in suppressing certain viewpoints.

He came under scrutiny from Democrats last summer for writing a section about the FCC’s agenda in Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s policy blueprint for a second Trump administration. His section advocated for the overturning of Section 230.