FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel to Step Down

Jessica Rosenworcel, the first female FCC chair, announced Wednesday that she will resign if Donald Trump becomes president

In 2012, Rosenworcel became a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and served as the driving force behind numerous initiatives to modernize the organization responsible for overseeing the telecommunications sector in the United States.

She spearheaded a crackdown on Chinese telecom equipment, pressed for more students to have internet access, and orchestrated a subsidy program to assist millions of households in affording broadband.

Rosenworcel also directed domestic policy for satellites and space-based communications, and he supervised the establishment of an FCC Space Bureau.

She also worked to reinstate the net neutrality regulations that the FCC reversed during the administration of then-president Donald Trump. (“Net neutrality” is the principle that internet service providers should handle all internet traffic equally.”)

Rosenworcel is adhering to the established commission precedent by resigning upon the inauguration of a new president. A commission that is currently divided 2-2 between Democratic and Republican appointees may not remain so for an extended period.