CTIA, the wireless industry association, chose Ajit Pai as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. The former FCC Chair will join CTIA from the private investment firm Searchlight Capital Partners. He replaces Meredith Attwell Baker, who announced her retirement last December, Inside Towers reported. Atwell, a former FCC Commissioner, has held the job since 2014.
“The wireless industry is a key driver of technology innovation and investment in the U.S. And it helps advance America’s global competitiveness, national security, and economic security,” Pai said. “Together, we will work to ensure that our nation’s spectrum and infrastructure policies promote U.S. global wireless leadership and keep consumers on the leading edge of innovation. I am thrilled to get to represent the companies across our country that are creating jobs, growing the economy, and benefiting hundreds of millions of consumers every day.”
“Ajit has played a pivotal role in leading our nation’s effort to promote broadband deployment and expand commercial access to spectrum. He is the proven leader we need to head our industry at this critical stage,” said Laurent Therivel, CEO of UScellular and CTIA Chairman of the Board.
Prior to joining Searchlight Capital Partners in 2021, Pai held senior leadership roles in the FCC for nearly a decade. He was designated by President Donald Trump as Chairman of the agency in 2017, where he advanced major initiatives to help close the digital divide, promote U.S. leadership in 5G, encourage innovation, and safeguard consumers and national security, according to CTIA. Pai was previously an FCC Commissioner at the FCC, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012. One of his earlier jobs was associate general counsel at Verizon.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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