Latest news with #Simington
New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Ex-NY Young Republicans leader Gavin Wax gets nod for FCC spot
WASHINGTON — The former leader of New York's Young Republicans was endorsed Saturday by an outgoing member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fill his vacancy. FCC commissioner Nathan Simington told The Post in a phone interview Saturday that Gavin Wax, 31, 'would be a great' replacement and had been hearing 'buzz' about a potential nomination from President Trump. 'I don't want to get ahead of the president,' said Simington, who has served at the FCC since the Senate confirmed him as Trump's pick in December 2020, before adding: 'Trump has been very smart and creative with his picks in general. And he seems willing to look outside of, I guess, the establishment … or Beltway insiders.' 4 FCC commissioner Nathan Simington told The Post in a phone interview Saturday that Gavin Wax, 31, 'would be a great' replacement and had been hearing 'buzz' about a potential nomination from President Trump. AP Simington, who previously served as an associate at law firms like Mayer Brown as well as in a senior advisory role at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is departing the FCC after his term expired last year and he stayed on in the intervening months as a holdover. Wax is currently serving under the Republican appointee as chief of staff and senior adviser at the FCC. If confirmed, he would be the youngest-ever FCC commissioner since 1945, when Democrat Charles Denny was confirmed at age 32. 'I came in as someone whose experience was primarily on the international trading side of wireless finance, and so I've been reading a lot of telecom reg[ulations],' he explained. 'Gavin and I have collaborated on a lot of writing, and I think the common thread of tying it together is a desire to take a fresh look at telecom.' 4 Simington is departing the FCC after his term expired last year and he stayed on in the intervening months as a holdover. AP 'Gavin has spent a lot of effort with me thinking through questions of 5G industrialization. … I would expect [him] to focus on what it means to get smart manufacturing up and running at high scale in the United States,' he added. The two co-authored an op-ed in the conservative Daily Caller last month calling for 'DOGE-style' reforms at the FCC to do away with 'outdated practices that burden consumers, broadcasters, and taxpayers alike.' Established as part of the Communications Act of 1934, the five-member FCC regulates TV, radio, internet, satellite and cable industries, approves licensing and auctions off the use of spectrum for services like 5G. 4 'I don't want to get ahead of the president,' said Simington. 'And he seems willing to look outside of, I guess, the establishment … or Beltway insiders.' AFP via Getty Images As for his work chairing the Young Republicans, Simington noted: 'The commission is an organization of 1,600 people. … I have to say when I got Gavin's resume, the line items about the sizes of the events that he had organized and put on … my response was, this guy can clearly do things that I would find very challenging.' Wax hosted the group's annual holiday gala in previous years. Trump was the keynote speaker for the event in 2023. The FCC currently has two Republican commissioners including Simington and two Democratic commissioners. 4 Wax hosted the group's annual holiday gala in previous years. Trump was the keynote speaker for the event in 2023. Kevin C. Downs Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks announced that he was stepping down Friday, leaving another vacancy. Olivia Trusty was previously nominated as the third Republican to serve on the panel of commissioners and is in the process of being confirmed by the Senate. Chairman Brendan Carr, a Republican, has led a series of reforms at the agency since Trump returned to the White House, including targeting diversity practices at Verizon and hinting at broader changes to so-called 'Section 230' protections for big tech companies. The latter has been the subject of furious debate by Republicans due to the liability shield it provides the platforms, even as some Facebook admitted to taking advantage of the tool to censor Americans' views online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither the White House nor Wax immediately responded to requests for comment.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Republican FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington to Step Down
Republican Federal Communications Commission member Nathan Simington will exit his role at the agency at the end of the week. Simington, who was first confirmed to the regulatory agency during President Donald Trump's first term in December 2020, called the appointment the 'greatest honor of my professional life' and said he remains committed to 'advancing the cause of limited government, free speech, and American innovation.' An individual familiar with the matter told TheWrap that Simington was up for reappointment and is choosing to move on professionally. 'Throughout my tenure, I worked to defend free expression, safeguard national security, and promote infrastructure investment to benefit all Americans,' his statement continued. 'As I turn the page on this chapter, I do so with immense gratitude for the opportunity to serve and for the many colleagues and friends who made this journey so meaningful. I look forward to continuing to serve the public interest in the years ahead and to contributing to the vital conversations surrounding our communications infrastructure, national security, and technological leadership.' In a recent op-ed with the Daily Caller, Simington called for the agency to modernize ownership rules to allow traditional broadcasters 'greater flexibility to consolidate and compete' and to reexamine how it classifies and regulates streaming platforms. He also proposed implementing a 30% cap for major networks taking retransmission fees for local broadcasters. His departure from the five-member body comes as Democrat Geoffrey Starks announced he would formally depart later this month. Republican Olivia Trusty has also been nominated to the agency, but awaits confirmation by the Senate, leaving Republican FCC chairman Brendan Carr and Democrat Anna Gomez as the two lone remaining members in the interim. The FCC needs at least three active members for a quorum. In a statement, Carr thanked Starks and Simington for their public service. He also outlined the agency's continued efforts to identify and eliminate regulations that are 'effectively dead wood,' including cable television rate regulations. 'I would like to consider an order that gets rid of those obsolete and unworkable rules,' he said. 'If adopted, we would remove 77 rules and requirements that have no meaningful application today.' The FCC will hold its next Open Meeting on June 26. The post Republican FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington to Step Down appeared first on TheWrap.
CNBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Republican FCC commissioner Simington will step down this week
Republican Federal Communications Commission member Nathan Simington said Wednesday he plans to resign this week after more than four years in office. Simington was confirmed in December 2020 to the five-member FCC after he lead a regulatory effort during President Donald Trump's first term in office seeking to rein in social media companies. Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said last month he plans to step down in June.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Republican FCC commissioner Simington will step down this week
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican Federal Communications Commission member Nathan Simington said Wednesday he plans to resign this week after more than four years in office. Simington was confirmed in December 2020 to the five-member FCC after he lead a regulatory effort during President Donald Trump's first term in office seeking to rein in social media companies. Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said last month he plans to step down in June.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Republican FCC commissioner Simington will step down this week
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican Federal Communications Commission member Nathan Simington said Wednesday he plans to resign this week after more than four years in office. Simington was confirmed in December 2020 to the five-member FCC after he lead a regulatory effort during President Donald Trump's first term in office seeking to rein in social media companies. Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said last month he plans to step down in June.
