FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to Step Down in January

Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai participates in a discussion during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 23, 2018. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on Monday announced that he will resign on Jan. 20, 2021, the day of the presidential inauguration.

Pai, a Republican, was nominated to the FCC in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama at the recommendation of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). In 2017, he was appointed chairman by President Donald Trump to replace Tom Wheeler, who stepped down upon Trump’s inauguration.