US Senate confirms Trump FCC nominee
December 9, 2020
By Colin Mann
The US Senate has confirmed outgoing President Trump’s nomination of Nathan Simington to a seat on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Simington’s nomination followed Trump’s withdrawal of sitting member Michael O’Rielly’s candidacy shortly after the cancellation of his second confirmation hearing before Senate having reportedly expressed reservations about the President’s attempt to use his executive powers to order the FCC to limit the ability of online platforms to determine what they allowed on their platform.
After working at the Washington, D.C. branch of Brightstar Corporation, Simington served in the Department of Commerce for five months.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said: “I congratulate Nathan on his confirmation by the US Senate and look forward to welcoming him to the Commission. It has been the greatest honour of my professional life to serve at the FCC, and I am confident that Nathan too will enjoy the challenges and rewards of the job. Nathan was raised in a rural community, and his confirmation ensures that this important perspective will continue to be represented on the Commission for years to come as the FCC continues its work on bridging the digital divide. And with his experience at NTIA and in the private sector, Nathan is well-positioned to hit the ground running. I wish him all the best going forward.”
Simington’s confirmation as a new Republican member of the Commission coupled with Pai’s departure in January 2021 will leave the five-member agency at two Democrats and two Republicans, curtailing its ability under President-elect Biden to carry out the Democrat party’s telecom agenda as soon as he is inaugurated as president.