President Joe Biden has selected Jessica Rosenworcel to lead the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), according to a White House announcement on October 26. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she would be the first female chair of the FCC, the New York Times said.
The New York Times noted that the FCC had dropped net neutrality during the Donald Trump Administration. The paper said Biden's selection of Rosenworcel, 50, indicated his determination to restore the net neutrality rules put in place during the presidency of Barack Obama. Net neutrality had prohibited internet providers from blocking content or slowing down internet traffic.
Rosenworcel was currently acting chair of the FCC, which she had first joined in 2012. "During her time at the agency, she has worked to promote greater opportunity, accessibility, and affordability in our communications services to ensure that all Americans get a fair shot at 21st-century success," the White House said. The announcement of her nomination can be found at whitehouse.gov.
The announcement also mentioned that Biden was nominating Gigi B. Sohn to the FCC. She had degrees in film, communications, and law, the White House said. It added, "If she is confirmed, Gigi would be the first openly LGBTIQ+ Commissioner in the history of the FCC."
Fighting illegal robocalls
NPR said Rosenworcel had made fighting illegal robocalls one of her priorities as a member of the FCC.
The New York Times said her position against robocalls had not been divisive, and she had been able to get conservative FCC members to support her proposals on this subject.
Trump and Rosenworcel
The New York Times recalled that Obama had nominated Rosenworcel as a member of the FCC in 2011, and Trump had nominated her again in 2017.
The support from Trump had not stopped her from criticizing the Republican's attacks on the news media, the newspaper noted. The New York Times recalled a 2018 speech before the National Association of Broadcasters, in which she had spoken out against Trump's use of the term "fake news."
'The FCC oversees one-sixth of our economy'
"The FCC oversees about one-sixth of our economy – communications, and technology," Rosenworcel said in a 2018 appearance at the University of Michigan's Gerald R.
Ford School of Public Policy.
"That involves everything from broadcasting to broadband, from wi-fi to wireless, to satellite services in the air. If you think about it, you can't go through the day without touching some form of communications that the FCC overseas," she added.
The New York Times noted that Rosenworcel had worked energetically to be appointed FCC chair. The paper said a letter urging her appointment had been signed by 25 U.S. Senators belonging to the Democratic Party. She had also received support from 14 human rights organizations, the paper added.
Clamping down on China Telecom Americas
According to Politico, the FCC voted on October 26 to severely limit the activity of China Telecom Americas, a subsidiary of a Chinese state-controlled company.
The news site noted that China Telecom Americas had been providing telephone service in the United States. Politico quoted FCC staff as saying the company could provide information about U.S. customers to the Chinese government.
