The President has made it official Wednesday (Sept. 16), sending to the Senate the nomination of Nathan Simington for the Republican FCC seat of Michael O'Rielly, whose term has expired.
The President had already signaled that notification was coming.
O'Rielly's renomination was withdrawn by the President, apparently because O'Rielly was critical of the President's effort to regulate social media.
Simington is currently senior advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is the President's chief communications advisory arm, where he worked on 5G security/supply chain issues.
He also reportedly worked on NTIA's petition to the FCC to come up with the regime for regulating social media that the President had called for and that O'Rielly had criticized.
Simington is formerly senior counsel to wireless company Brightstar, where the White House points out he "negotiated deals with companies across the spectrum of the telecommunications and internet industry, including most of the world’s leading wireless carriers."
"NAB congratulates Nathan Simington on his nomination to the FCC," said National Association of Broadcasters president Gordon Smith. "We wish him the best during the confirmation process and look forward to working with him on the critical issues affecting local radio and TV broadcasters should he be confirmed to the Commission."
“CTIA and the wireless industry congratulate Nathan Simington on his nomination as an FCC Commissioner," said CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker. "He has a wide range of experience in the public and private sectors and strong knowledge of the wireless industry, which will be important as the FCC continues its work to help America lead the emerging 5G economy.”
