The FCC released a statement on December 15 that current chairman Tom Wheeler will be leaving the Commission on January 20, 2017, the day that President-elect Donald Trump will officially take office.
Wheeler had been a commissioner at the FCC for over three years. “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,” said Wheeler in the statement. Wheeler was chairman of the commission when the 2015 Declaratory Ruling and Order on the TCPA was issued, which expanded the definition of autodialers and made business more difficult for telemarketers.
President Trump will be responsible for replacing Wheeler as well as Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, whose term is expiring and likely won’t be reconfirmed by the senate. With Wheeler and Rosenworcel gone, the remaining commission leadership will consist of two republicans and one democrat.
No more than three of the five commissioners can belong to the same party, so President Trump will need to nominate one from each party to fill the two vacancies. However, he will also pick the next chairman of the commission, and will likely choose a conservative, business friendly replacement