Rosenworcel designated FCC Chair
October 27, 2021
By Colin Mann
US President Joe Biden has designated Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission. She is the first woman to be named to this position in the agency’s almost 100-year history. She was named Acting Chair in January 2021 shortly after Biden’s inauguration.
“I am deeply humbled to be designated as Chair of the Federal Communications Commission by President Biden,” said Rosenworcel. “It is an honour to work with my colleagues on the Commission and the agency’s talented staff to ensure that no matter who you are or where you live, everyone has the connections they need to live, work, and learn in the digital age. I also want to congratulate Gigi Sohn on her nomination to serve as a Commissioner at the agency and Alan Davidson on his nomination to serve as Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.”
In her time at the Commission, Rosenworcel has worked to promote greater opportunity, accessibility, and affordability in our communications services in order to ensure that all Americans get a fair shot at 21st century success. From fighting to protect an open internet to ensuring broadband access for students caught in the Homework Gap through the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund to making sure that households struggling to afford Internet service stay connected through the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, she has been a champion for connectivity for all. She is a leader in spectrum policy, developing new ways to support wireless services from Wi-Fi to video and the Internet of Things. She has fought to combat illegal robocalls and enhance consumer protections in our telecommunications policies.
Prior to joining the agency, she served as Senior Communications Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, under the leadership of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV and Senator Daniel Inouye. Before entering public service, Jessica practiced communications law. She lives in Washington D.C. with her two children and her husband, who is counsel at a national law firm. With this announcement, he will be taking a leave of absence from the firm.