Ajit Pai, chairman of the FCC, will finish up in January.
Mark Licea/CNET
Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, will step down Jan. 20, the agency said in a release Monday. He was appointed by President Donald Trump, who took office in 2017, and will leave on the day Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, is inaugurated.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as chairman of the FCC over the past four years,” Pai said in the release. “I am grateful to President Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, to President Obama for appointing me as a Commissioner in 2012, and to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the Senate for twice confirming me. To be the first Asian American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America.
As the White House shifts from Republican to Democratic control, Jessica Rosenworcel, currently on the FCC, and Mignon Clyburn, a former commissioner, are thought to be the leading candidates to succeed Pai, Variety reported Friday.
