The White House not only moved forward with its intention to nominate Anna Gomez to fill the fifth FCC Commissioner’s seat, but also signaled on Monday that it will re-nominate a Republican and a Democrat for additional five-year terms as Commissioners.
President Biden on Monday confirmed that he plans to re-nominate Democrat Geoffrey Starks and Republican Brendan Carr to serve additional five-year terms as FCC Commissioners.
That was met with applause from FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who said of Carr, “From improving network resiliency in light of destructive hurricanes to keeping our networks safe in the face of evolving threats, the FCC has benefitted from his public service.”
Carr has been seated at the FCC since being nominated by former President Trump in June 2017. Carr has been at the Commission for more than five years and was formerly the FCC’s General Counsel.
Expressing his thanks and appreciation to President Biden for his renomination and to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his recommendation, Carr said, “Serving on the Commission is a tremendous honor and privilege, and I am humbled by the opportunity to continue serving the American people. If reconfirmed, I would welcome the chance to continue working with my FCC colleagues and the agency’s talented staff on policies that will promote public safety, protect consumers, and encourage the build out and adoption of secure, high-speed networks.”
Speaking of Starks, who is more aligned with Rosenworcel on policy matters, she said, “He has been a consistent advocate for expanding the reach of communications and the opportunities of the digital age to all. I especially want to thank him for his leadership on the creation of the Affordable Connectivity Program’s federal housing outreach effort. I value his partnership on this program and so many others.”
Starks was nominated by then-president Trump on June 1, 2018. He previously served as an assistant chief in the Enforcement Bureau and has also served as senior counsel at the U.S. Justice Department. Starks is also known across Washington for his time as an attorney at Williams & Connolly LLP.
Starks said, “I am honored by President Biden’s decision to renominate me as an FCC Commissioner. Sitting on the Federal Communications Commission has been the privilege of my career, and I look forward to continuing to serve the American people if reconfirmed.”
With Gomez’s nomination the bigger news story, Rosenworcel added, “I look forward to working with a full complement of FCC Commissioners to advance our mission to connect everyone, everywhere.”
