ARLINGTON, VA. — He served as a Republican-aligned FCC Commissioner until First Amendment concerns over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act cost him his job, with President Trump effectively replacing him with Nate Simington.
Now, Mike O’Rielly has resurfaced at The Media Institute as its incoming head.
The D.C. think tank, which self-describes its operation as a “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization specializing in communications policy and the First Amendment,” announced O’Rielly’s appointment by its Board of Trustees on Thursday morning.
The naming of O’Rielly comes as Richard T. Kaplar, who joined The Media Institute in 1981 and rose to become its third President/CEO, announced that he is stepping down from his role, effective January 31.
Former FCC Chairman Dick Wiley, founder of Wiley Law and Chairman of The Media Institute’s Board of Trustees, said, “With a career spanning five decades, Rick Kaplar has been an inspirational leader of the Institute. We both are pleased to welcome Mike O’Rielly as our new and outstanding President and CEO.”
“I’ve had the privilege of advancing The Media Institute’s mission for 44 years and especially during these last eight years as its head. It’s been extremely satisfying, but I think it’s time for change,” Kaplar said. “I fully support Mike O’Rielly and I look forward to his energy and ideas for the Institute.” Kaplar plans to remain as a consultant.
Kaplar served as Vice President from 1984 to 2016 and became Executive Director in 2016. He kept that title when he became head of the Institute in January 2018, assuming his current role at the end of 2018.
Kaplar has written, edited, or produced more than 40 books and monographs on a variety of topics in the communications policy field. His areas of interest include the First Amendment and freedom of speech; competition and market economics; and government regulation of the communications industry.
As President, Kaplar launched the Digital Media Center in 2020; “The Madison Project: Free Speech and Press in American Democracy” in 2023; and created the Institute’s Fellows Program, which includes O’Rielly, a Senior Fellow.
Commenting on his new role, O’Rielly, who serves as a political consultant based across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., commented, “I am humbled by the Board’s selection of me to replace Rick Kaplar, who has so ably and honorably served The Media Institute for decades. The organization’s defense and promotion of the principles within the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment remain critical to our nation and political discourse and will be central to my work at The Media Institute.”
O’Rielly was a Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission from 2013 through 2020. He came to the FCC from Capitol Hill, where he spent almost 20 years on both the House and Senate sides. From 2010 to 2013 he held several positions, including policy advisor in the Office of the Senate Republican Whip. Before that, he worked for the Senate Republican Policy Committee as a policy analyst. O’Rielly began his Senate career in 2003 working for Sen. John Sununu. He began his House career in 1994 working for Rep. Tom Bliley and then worked on the House Energy and Commerce Committee until 2003.
— With reporting from RBR+TVBR in Thornburg, Va., and Montclair, Va.
