Trump's FCC Shakeup Continues as Jessica Rosenworcel Departs

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced her departure from the agency for January 20, 2025—the date President-elect Trump will assume office.

The move comes after Trump selected Brendan Carr to head up the FCC as the agency's chairman during his tenure. Trump nominated Carr to the FCC in 2017 and Rosenworcel's departure from the agency will pave the way for Trump to appoint a new FCC Commissioner with a 3-2 GOP majority.

“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,” Rosenworcel said in her departure announcement. “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.”

“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.”

Jessica Rosenworcel was nominated as an FCC Commissioner by President Obama in 2012. She was later named the FCC Chair by President Biden in 2021.

After President-elect Trump nominated Brendan Carr to fill the role for his second term, Carr took to the former Twitter to express his sentiments. “We must dismantle the censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans,” Carr announced.

Brendan Carr was tapped to write the FCC chapter in the Project 2025 conservative blueprint for the second Trump term. Carr has promised to focus on 'censorship' during his time at the agency, promising to hold broadcast TV and radio stations accountable. He writes that the FCC's top priorities should be “reining in Big Tech, promoting national security, unleashing economic prosperity, and ensuring FCC accountability and good governance.”

Carr has previously supported the rollback of net neutrality rules and has called for legislative reform of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That gives immunity to tech platforms for user-generated content, as long as a good-faith moderation effort is made. Carr has also stated that he believes TikTok should be banned—which it is at odds with how TikTok execs saw a Trump presidency going in the battle against the US government's ban.