Biden nominates first female FCC chair
By Maegan Vazquez, CNN
President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he’s nominating Jessica Rosenworcel to lead the Federal Communications Commission, which would make her the first woman to serve in the role if she’s confirmed by the Senate.
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to be designated to serve as FCC Chair,” Rosenworcel tweeted on Tuesday, thanking Biden, her family and her mentors. “I wouldn’t be here without those who came before and paved the way.”
She also said she was looking forward to working with two other newly announced nominees — Gigi Sohn, a nominee for commissioner of the FCC, and Alan Davidson, the nominee to be an assistant secretary for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the Department of Commerce — “so that modern communications reach all.”
Rosenworcel was previously a commissioner at the FCC since 2012 and is currently the acting chairwoman. She’s the second woman to serve as an acting chairwoman. Rosenworcel served as senior communications counsel for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation before joining the FCC.
In a statement announcing Rosenworcel’s formal nomination to be a commissioner with the designation as chair, the White House said that during her time at the FCC, “she has worked to promote greater opportunity, accessibility, and affordability in our communications services in order to ensure that all Americans get a fair shot at 21st century success.”
“From fighting to protect an open internet, to ensuring broadband access for students caught in the Homework Gap through the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund, to making sure that households struggling to afford internet service stay connected through the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, she has been a champion for connectivity for all,” the statement added.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, said Tuesday’s nominee announcement comes “at just the right time, with more work to do to improve our broadband deployment, spectrum management, and consumer protections.”
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who serves as chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, said in a statement that she supports both Rosenworcel’s and Sohn’s nominations.
“As Congress works to move forward a historic investment in broadband infrastructure, strong leadership at the FCC is essential to deliver on the connectivity goals our 21-century economy demands,” Klobuchar said. “With more than two decades of experience at the FCC and the Senate Commerce Committee, I am confident that both Rosenworcel and Sohn have the expertise needed to close the digital divide and strengthen our nation for generations to come.”
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