The US Senate has confirmed the nomination of Nathan Simington to the Federal Communications Commission, as proposed by President Donald Trump in September. He replaces Mike O'Rielly, whose term expires this month and has not been extended.
Simington is a senior adviser at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and prior to that worked as senior counsel at mobile distributor Brightstar. His appointment leaves the regulator divided along party lines, with two Democrat nominees and two Republicans.
The appointment of a new chair to replace Ajit Pai will be left to the new US President, Joe Biden. However, a new Democrat appointee's confirmation may prove difficult if the Republicans maintain control of the Senate following run-off elections in Georgia.
