WASHINGTON – The nation’s top telecommunications regulator said Thursday that he will step down at the end of President Barack Obama’s term, paving the way for President-elect Donald Trump to nominate a successor when he takes office in January.
Tom Wheeler, the Obama appointee who has led the agency for three years, was the driving force behind a number of sweeping regulations that aimed to inject competition into the telecommunications sector. Wheeler’s signature battle with conservatives over net neutrality ultimately mandated that cable and telecom companies should abide by some of the same rules when providing Internet service as when providing phone service.
Wheeler’s departure Jan. 20 will leave the agency shorthanded and lopsided – with two Republican commissioners and one Democratic commissioner remaining – meaning that conservatives will enjoy an advantage at the agency, as some there have vowed to apply a “regulatory weed-whacker” to the FCC’s policies.
“Serving as F.C.C. Chairman during this period of historic technological change has been the greatest honor of my professional life,” Wheeler said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to work with my fellow Commissioners to help protect consumers, strengthen public safety and cybersecurity, and ensure fast, fair and open networks for all Americans.”
A broader rollback of Wheeler’s policies appears likely, analysts say, particularly on net neutrality. Although it could take some time, potentially beginning with a decision by Trump’s FCC simply not to enforce the regulation, the rules have long been targeted by Republicans as an example of government overreach. If net neutrality falls, some of Wheeler’s other initiatives – such as rules compelling Internet providers not to abuse customer data – could also collapse, because of their reliance on net neutrality for legal force.
Democrats could slow the Republicans if Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn also steps down from the agency. Although she has not said whether she plans to do so, stripping the FCC of all three of its Democrats could deny the Republican majority a quorum necessary to do business, according to Berin Szoka, president of the right-leaning think tank TechFreedom.
But, he added, that would simply give Trump greater leeway to stock the FCC openings with his loyal allies.
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(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Brian Fung
