FCC Commissioner, Ajit Varadaraj Pai will skip the “interim” chair formalities and move straight to the top of the agency as FCC Chairman, according to Politico. Industry trade groups such as NAB are already applauding the apparent appointment though Pai was not commenting on the reports and, as of Sunday, no official word confirmed the appointment.
Reacting to news reports that indicated Pai would be named, NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith said his group supports Pai’s selection as chairman by new President Donald Trump “without qualification.” Smith described Pai as a “known quantity who brings integrity, good humor and a fierce intellect to the Commission. We look forward to working with him and his colleagues on a pro-growth FCC agenda that benefits tens of millions of Americans who rely on free broadcast radio and TV for the most popular content, credible news, and lifeline local emergency alerts.”
Pai would lead an FCC that has a two-to-one GOP majority initially; Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and fellow GOP Commissioner Michael O’Rielly remain at the agency.
The Kansas native came to the FCC in 2012 following stints as an attorney for Verizon, the U.S. Senate and the Justice Department.
January 23, 2017
Reader Interactions