FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn surprised her colleagues when she confirmed today, she intends to leave the FCC. Though her departure had been rumored for months, she always said she loved the job and planned to continue in her role as the senior Democratic member of the Commission.
After the meeting ended, Clyburn said today’s public monthly agency meeting would be her last. “This has been an incredible opportunity for me. I’ve done my best.” She said most of the lessons she learned on the job helped her.
Her colleagues were stunned. Fellow Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said “Wow,” and called Clyburn a “dynamo.” Commissioner Michael O’Rielly thanked Clyburn for her public service, noting that while they didn’t always agree on an issue, he appreciated that she was always willing to discuss it.
Chairman Ajit Pai echoed O’Rielly’s comments and cited that in her eight-year tenure, Clyburn was the first woman to chair the agency, when she became Acting Chair in 2013. “You led with distinction. You exemplify what a public servant is meant to be.”
Clyburn did not name an end date and said her future plans are not set.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
April 17, 2018
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