Rosenworcel Will Leave the FCC in January

With a short break in 2017, she has been on the FCC since 2012

Jessica Rosenworcel will leave the Federal Communications Commission on Jan. 20.

Rosenworcel, a Democrat, will relinquish her role as chairwoman when Donald Trump begins his second term as president. Trump has picked Commissioner Brendan Carr for that role.

Until a new commissioner is confirmed, the panel come January will consist of Republicans Carr and Nathan Simington and Democrats Geoffrey Starks and Anna Gomez.

[Related: “Trump Taps Brendan Carr as Next FCC Chair“]

Rosenworcel served as a commissioner from 2012 through early 2017; the commission was down to three members in the early months of the first Trump administration. She was reconfirmed later in 2017 at the same time that Carr joined the FCC. She was then reconfirmed to a five-year term in December of 2021.

On Thursday, Rosenworcel’s opening statements from the Nov. 21 FCC meeting were shared with the public.

“Serving at the Federal Communications Commission has been the honor of a lifetime, especially my tenure as chair and as the first woman in history to be confirmed to lead this agency,” she said in a statement. “I want to thank President Biden for entrusting me with the responsibility to guide the FCC during a time when communications technology is a part of every aspect of civic and commercial life.”

Rosenworcel continued: “Taking the oath of office on the street outside of the agency during the height of the pandemic, when so much of our day-to-day moved online, made clear how important the work of the FCC is and how essential it is for us to build a digital future that works for everyone.”

“I am proud to have served at the FCC alongside some of the hardest working and dedicated public servants I have ever known,” she said. “Together, we accomplished seemingly impossible feats like setting up the largest broadband affordability program in history — which led to us connecting more than 23 million households to high-speed internet, connecting more than 17 million students caught in the homework gap to hotspots and other devices as learning moved online, putting national security and public safety matters with communications front and center before the agency, and launching the first-ever Space Bureau to support United States leadership in the new Space Age.”

She also thanked her husband, daughter and son. “Public service is not without sacrifice, and I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and rescue pup in the days ahead.”

Prior to joining the FCC Rosenworcel was senior communications counsel for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. She also practiced communications law in Washington. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and New York University School of Law.

Commissioner Anna Gomez in a statement thanked Rosenworcel for her work. “She focused on consumers, especially those that have been historically left behind and those that are in vulnerable situations, on economic priorities such as the space economy and our digital future, and on national security,” Gomez wrote. “Her impact will be felt by many. I also want to thank her for her support and friendship. Her commitment to good government and shrewd management of our agency, which is a special place, helped make my transition to commissioner seamless.”

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