Jessica Rosenworcel will be replaced by Brendan Carr, a vocal critic of Big Tech.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Jessica Rosenworcel has announced she will leave the agency on the day of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Rosenworcel, a Democrat, joined the FCC in 2012. She was named permanent chair by President Joe Biden in October 2021, becoming the first woman to hold that position.
“I want to thank President Biden for entrusting me with the responsibility to guide the FCC during a time when communications technology is a part of every aspect of civic and commercial life,” Rosenworcel wrote in a Nov. 21 statement announcing her departure.
The FCC under Rosenworcel oversaw the Biden administration’s $14.2 billion internet subsidies, which gave eligible low-income families $30 monthly discounts for broadband access. She also led a $7 billion initiative to provide millions of students with Wi-Fi hotspots and other devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, when school lockdowns were widespread and remote learning became the norm.
More recently, In April, the FCC restored Obama-era “net neutrality” rules by reclassifying broadband internet access service as a public utility, much like water and electricity. The move expanded the regulatory regime’s oversight of internet service providers, imposing stricter accountability