(TNS) — President
Joe Biden
has appointed
West Hartford, Conn., native
Jessica Rosenworcel
as the acting chairwoman of the
Federal Communications Commission. She’s now a front-runner to become a full-time replacement for former chairman and Trump appointee
Ajit Pai
.
“I am honored to be designated as the Acting Chairwoman of the
Federal Communications Commission by President Biden,” Rosenworcel said, in a statement. “I thank the President for the opportunity to lead an agency with such a vital mission and talented staff. It is a privilege to serve the American people and work on their behalf to expand the reach of communications opportunity in the digital age.”
Rosenworcel, a proponent of net neutrality and an advocate for bringing broadband communications to underserved communities, was first nominated to serve on the
FCC by President
Barack Obama
in 2011. Trump nominated her for an additional five-year term in 2017.
Biden so far has tapped a number of
Connecticut natives for important roles in D.C., including
U.S. education secretary nominee
Miguel Cardona
, press secretary
Jen Psaki
, chair of the
Council on Environmental Quality Brenda Mallory and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, who served as commissioner of the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection from 2004 to 2009.
A 1989 graduate of
Hall High School in
West Hartford, Rosenworcel received a bachelor’s degree from
Wesleyan University in
Middletown before earning her law degree from
New York University.
Prior to joining the
FCC, Rosenworcel served as senior communications counsel for the
United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. She has also practiced communications law in
Washington, DC.
The balance of power at the
FCC is now split between two
Democrats and two
Republicans. That could change when
President Biden
nominates additional members to be confirmed by the narrowly controlled Democratic
Senate.
Rosenworcel’s brother, Brian, is the drummer for the band Guster.
(c)2021 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
