Ajit Pai Selected as Next FCC Chairman

On January 20, 2017, Politico Pro reported that President Trump selected Republican Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Ajit Pai to serve as the next permanent FCC Chairman. According to the report, Commissioner Pai will not need to go through Senate confirmation in order to become Chairman. Instead, he will simply need the Senate to reappoint him by the end of the next session.

In light of this development, the FCC will be active far sooner than was generally expected. Typically, due to the grueling nomination process, it can take anywhere from six to nine months for a new chairman to assume the role. However, the selection of a current FCC commissioner will mean that Chairman Pai can immediately start dismantling some of the hallmarks of the previous administration, including the 2015 Open Internet Order and 2016 Broadband Privacy Order.