Senate Reconfirms FCC’s Carr & Starks

• Over the course a very eventful weekend that saw the government pulled back from the brink of a potentially damaging shutdown, the U.S. Senate also somehow found the time to unanimously reconfirm FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr of Virginia (left) and Geoffrey Starks of Kansas (right) for new five-year terms — Carr’s is effective from July 1, 2023, and Starks’ term is effective from July 1, 2022.

Afterward, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel issued the following statement that reads, in part, “Brendan has been a dedicated public servant during his time at the FCC. I look forward to continuing working together to find common ground, including on efforts to improve network resiliency and on critical national security matters. In addition, I want to congratulate Geoffrey for his ongoing commitment to public service and for his important contributions to the agency and its work. His invaluable insights at the Commission have helped us reach more communities through the Affordable Connectivity Program, and I’m excited to continue our successful partnerships to help more households remain connected.”

In closing, Chairwoman Rosenworcel said, “With a complete Senate-confirmed Commission, the FCC is now ready to take on our full slate of work and fulfill our commitment to ensuring Americans everywhere have access to the best, most reliable communication services in the world.”

In a statement, NAB President & CEO Curtis LeGeyt said, “NAB congratulates Commissioners Starks and Carr on their Senate reconfirmations. Broadcasters value their commitment and leadership, and thank them for their work to ensure our ability to grow our life-line service to the benefit of viewers and listeners across the country. We are eager to continue working with Commissioners Starks and Carr, and the full Commission, to modernize policies that allow local broadcasters to best serve our communities.”