Michael O’Rielly, FCC Commissioner has applauded the nomination.
Indian American Chairman of Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai has been nominated by President Trump for a second term, Axios reported.
Even though Pai’s first term as FCC commissioner officially ended on July, 2016, the FCC norms allowed an extension of one year for all commissioners, giving an opportunity for Pai.to take over as the Chairman after Tom Wheeler demitted the office.
Pai’s nomination has to be first approved by the Senate and interestingly, his re-nomination coincided with his appearance before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday.
During his first Senate hearing as the Chairman of FCC, Pai wasn’t confronted with questions on net-neutrality, which he has been vehemently opposing. The senate decided to go with other questions such as his opinion on AT&T’s Time Warner acquisition, media as “enemy of the citizens”, local media consolidation etc.
Senators touched upon the issue of net neutrality only occasionally and focused more on the commission’s more bipartisan and banal duties.
“If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed by the Senate, I will continue to work with my colleagues to connect all Americans with digital opportunities, foster innovation, protect consumers, promote public safety and make the FCC more open and transparent to the American people,” Pai said after coming to know that President Trump nominated him for a second term.
Michael O’Rielly, FCC Commissioner has applauded the nomination.
“It is heartening to learn that President Trump has nominated my friend and colleague, Chairman Pai, for a well-deserved new term on the Commission,” he said in a statement. “I know Ajit looks forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead. Together, we can achieve much to bring our rules into line with marketplace realities, removing unnecessary burdens on providers — and thus consumers — while also improving our internal procedures,” he further added.
Pai’s was appointed as the Chairman of FCC a few days after Trump administration took power.
According to reports, by giving a second term to Pai as the Chairman, the Republicans aim at further accelerating their ambitious tech agenda.