Carr, Gomez Among Those Congratulating Trusty on FCC Confirmation
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez were among many communications policymakers and stakeholders who congratulated Republican Commissioner-designate Olivia Trusty on Tuesday night and Wednesday. The Senate voted 53-45 Wednesday to confirm Trusty to a five-year term that begins July 1 (see 2506180076). It cleared her Tuesday to finish the term of former Democratic Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, which ends June 30 (see 2506170072).
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Trusty “brings years of valuable experience to the agency, including her public service on Capitol Hill and time in the private sector,” Carr said. “I look forward to … advancing an agenda that will deliver great results for the American people." Gomez said she has “known Olivia for years and [has] been very impressed with her strong background in communications policy and deep understanding of the technical aspects of this job, which will be a great asset to this agency.”
House Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., also hailed Trusty’s confirmation. “I look forward to working with her and the Commission to connect every American to reliable internet access and promote American technological leadership for the decades to come.”
Many communications sector companies and groups also praised the confirmation, including: ACT | The App Association, America's Public Television Stations, ATSC, AT&T, Comcast, Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, EchoStar, Fiber Broadband Association, Incompas, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, NAB, National Emergency Number Association, National Lifeline Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, National Spectrum Consortium, NCTA, NextNav, NTCA, Open RAN Policy Coalition, Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition, Spectrum for the Future, T-Mobile, USTelecom, Verizon, Wireless Infrastructure Association, WISPA and WTA.
Some entities congratulated Trusty but with caveats. National Hispanic Media Coalition CEO Brenda Victoria Castillo said in a statement that she hopes Trusty’s “lived experience as a woman of color informs her role [at] the Commission.” Castillo also emphasized that a “highly qualified Democratic replacement for [Democratic ex-Commissioner Geoffrey Starks] should be nominated and confirmed as soon as possible.” Joe Kane, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation's broadband and spectrum policy director, said that with “a quorum in place, the FCC should turn its attention to advancing policies that benefit consumers … rather than partisan sideshows like content regulation and ungermane merger conditions.”