On Monday, the White House announced it had sent the nomination of FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr for a full five-year term to the Senate for a vote.
Carr and Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel were confirmed back in August as part of a complicated, partisan, deal that led to a voice vote ("unanimous consent") in which Senators okayed Democrat Rosenworcel through 2020 but only allowed Republican Carr to hold office through June 2018 (completing the term of FCC chairman Tom Wheeler). Republican Senators on the Commerce Committee had sought to approve Carr simultaneously for the unexpired term plus for the ensuing term through 2023.
Rosenworcel was returning to the FCC after her term was allowed to expire without a vote on her renomination by then President Barack Obama.
Carr has already made his mark on the FCC as one of the three votes needed to restore the UHF discount, deregulate broadcast ownership , and overturn the Title II classification of ISPs and repeal regs against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization.
Carr had been general counsel under FCC chairman Ajit Pai before being nominated by President Donald Trump to the FCC.
Before he was named general counsel in the Pai FCC, Carr had served as the chairman's—then commissioner—wireless, public safety and international legal advisor.
Carr had been in the general counsel's office before that.
"Congratulations to Commissioner Carr," said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. "we look forward to working with him on a deployment agenda that brings more competition and faster speeds to American consumers and businesses."
