Jessica Rosenworcel, the first woman to serve as permanent chair on the FCC, said Wednesday that she’ll step down from the agency when Donald Trump assumes the presidency.
Rosenworcel joined the FCC in 2012, and was behind a number of efforts to transform the agency charged with regulating the U.S. telecommunications industry. She pushed for more students to get internet access, spearheaded a crackdown on Chinese telecoms equipment, and orchestrated a subsidy program to help millions of households afford broadband.
Rosenworcel also guided domestic policy for space-based communications and satellites, overseeing the establishment of an FCC Space Bureau. And she worked to restore net neutrality rules that were reversed by the FCC under then-president Donald Trump. (Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers should treat all internet traffic equally.)
Rosenworcel is following the longstanding commission precedent by stepping down when a new president takes office. She leaves a commission divided 2-2 between Democratic and Republican appointees — but perhaps not for long.
