The U.S. Senate confirmed two nominees to the FCC on Thursday — Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel and Republican Brendan Carr. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai congratulated them, saying, “As I know from working with each of them for years, they have distinguished records of public service and will be valuable assets to the FCC in the years to come. Their experience at the FCC makes them particularly well-suited to hit the ground running.” The move brings the agency back up to a full complement, yet Pai himself has not yet been reconfirmed to another term, Politico reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Carr was confirmed for one term or two, as the GOP preferred. Democrats opposed confirming him for two consecutive terms at once, Inside Towers reported.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association applauded the Senate action, with WIA President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein, himself a former FCC Commissioner, congratulating Rosenworcel and Carr. “Both are dedicated public servants with established records of working with all stakeholders to best serve all communities. WIA looks forward to working with the FCC on the crucial issues facing the wireless infrastructure industry.”
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association CEO Shirley Bloomfield said a full complement of commissioners will be helpful in tackling the many important and complex communications-related public policy issues before the FCC. “We look forward in particular to working with the new commissioners on universal service issues, where their deep industry backgrounds and fresh perspectives may offer help in overcoming persistent problems that continue to keep our nation from fulfilling the statutory mandate that rural Americans must have access to voice and broadband services on a reasonably comparable basis with their urban counterparts.”
Published August 4, 2017
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