FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will resign January 20, 2021

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai resigns when Joe Biden is inaugurated as president of the US on January 20. Pai was appointed chairman by current President Trump in 2017 and began his term with the controversial decision to scrap net neutrality rules in the US.

The current chairman of the American telecom watchdog says in a statement that he “considered it an honor” to enter the position in the past four years. “I am grateful to President Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, President Obama for appointing me as commissioner in 2012, and the Senate for ‘confirming’ me twice.”

Joe Biden may nominate a new chairman for the FCC after his inauguration, CNBC writes. However, this candidate must also be approved by the Senate. It is not yet clear who will nominate Biden for the position. It is common for FCC presidents to resign when a new president is elected. For example, former chairman Tom Wheeler resigned in 2017, when Trump was sworn in as president.

Ajit Pai is best known for his controversial views on net neutrality. Before he was named chairman of the FCC in 2017, he said net neutrality regulation was one of the first FCC rules to disappear under Trump. These regulations were put into effect in 2015 by Tom Wheeler. A vote took place at the end of 2017 to actually abolish net neutrality.