Senate confirmations complete for FCC Commissioners

The FCC is ready to take on a full slate of work, according to the commission’s chairwoman, following the recent confirmations of three commissioners by the U.S. Senate.

With the confirmations, the FCC’s five-member board is fully confirmed. The Sept. 30 confirmations of Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr, both of which were re-confirmations, followed the confirmation of Anna Gomez.

Gomez was confirmed a week earlier.

The confirmations also establish the FCC’s first Democratic majority during the Biden Administration, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transporation.

The news was celebrated by some notable voices in the communications industry.

Shirley Bloomfield, the CEO of The Rural Broadband Association, said Carr and Starks take thoughtful approaches to policymaking.

“Throughout their tenures, commissioners Carr and Starks have worked to promote critical connectivity by engaging with consumers and providers in the field and considering thoughtfully how the commission’s policies affect broadband availability and affordability,” Bloomfield said in a statement congratulating them.

Jessica Rosenworcel, the chairwoman of the FCC, said Carr has been a dedicated public servant during his time in office.

“I look forward to continuing working together to find common ground, including on efforts to improve network resiliency and on critical national security matters,” she said in a statement.

Rosenworcel also thanked Starks “for his ongoing commitment to public service.”

“His invaluable insights at the commission have helped us reach more communities through the Affordable Connectivity Program, and I’m excited to continue our successful partnerships to help more households remain connected.”

With a complete Senate-confirmed commission, Rosenworcel said the FCC “is now ready to take on our full slate of work and fulfill our commitment to ensuring Americans everywhere have access to the best, most reliable communication services in the world.”

Carr was first nominated to serve on the FCC by President Donald Trump. According to his biography on the FCC’s website, he has led the FCC’s work to modernize its infrastructure rules and accelerate the buildout of high-speed networks.

Starks, who was also originally nominated by Trump, is considered a leader on national-security policy and helped lead the FCC’s enforcement bureau before becoming a commissioner, according to his biography.

Gomez, who was nominated by President Joseph Biden, is the first Latina-American to serve on the FCC in over two decades. Her biography says she has over 30 years of public and private sector experience in communications law and previously served as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Deputy Administrator, where she led efforts that resulted in a new $7 billion public safety broadband network program.