President Biden appointed Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as chairmen of their respective agencies on Thursday.
President of the FCC Ajit Pai
Ajit PaiHillicon Valley: Twitter permanently suspends Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell and others | Laptop stolen from Pelosi’s office during Capitol riots | Reddit bans r / DonaldTrump forum Father dismisses Trump’s executive order to change Section 230 Defense of the Night: US aircraft carrier staying in the Middle East in abrupt reversal | DC Guard activated before pro-Trump protests | 10 former Defense Secretaries speak out against military involvement in the electoral dispute MORE and FTC President Joseph Simons, both Republicans, announced plans to step down later this month.
Rosenworcel said she is “honored” to be appointed as interim president of the FCC and to work to expand communication opportunities across the country.
“I thank the president for the opportunity to lead an agency with such a vital mission and a talented team. It is a privilege to serve the American people and work on their behalf to expand the reach of communication opportunities in the digital age, ”she said in a statement.
During his time as president, Pai repealed the Obama-era network neutrality rules, which allowed the FCC to go after service providers that discriminated against certain web traffic. The repeal is likely to be overturned after Democrats win a 3-2 majority on the committee.
Slaughter, who has worked at the FTC since 2018, said she is “deeply honored and grateful” for leading it.
“The best part of serving at the FTC is working with our incredibly dedicated and talented team. Their experience, creativity and constant commitment have given me the confidence that we will be able to face the formidable challenges that our markets and the American people face today, ”said Slaughter in the announcement.
She also thanked Simons, who said the day before Biden’s inauguration that he would step down from January 29
“I want to express my sincere gratitude for President Simons’ excellent leadership during a time of unprecedented challenges,” said Slaughter.
Along with replacing Simons as president of the FTC, Biden will need to fill another seat on the five-member council that was held by the Democratic commissioner. Rohit Chopra
Director of Rohit ChopraConsumer’s office resigns after Biden’s inauguration in Hillicon Valley: Biden highlights the need for cybersecurity at confirmation hearings | FTC president to step down this month | Progressives warn against the appointment of technology insiders to key antitrust functions that the Biden consumer agency could take over on the day of inauguration MORE. The president’s transition team said, days before the transfer of power, that the then president-elect would appoint Chopra to head the Department of Financial Consumer Protection.