FCC’s O’Rielly stepping down
October 2, 2020
By Chris Forrester
FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly has confirmed that he will step down from his role when his term is up, and has made clear that he is not seeking any support in staying in the job.
His time is up either in January or should a replacement be appointed, whichever is the sooner. O’Rielly is a Republican nominee and had been expected to enjoy another term on the FCC but President Trump rescinded his re-nomination to the position.
An FCC public meeting on September 30th heard O’Rielly say that while he had enjoyed his time on the FCC he wanted to stress that his presence on the Commission was coming to an end. “I do not seek for anyone to pursue my continued service at the commission beyond my current term,” he stated.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai said O’Rielly has served with “great honour and distinction” and had led on issues like KidVid and freeing up C-band and other 5G spectrum issues.
While not confirmed it is widely expected that Nathan Simington would take up O’Rielly’s place on the FCC. Simington is a senior adviser at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency within the US Department of Commerce principally responsible for advising the president on telecommunications and information policy issues.