Mignon Clyburn, one of five commissioners on the Federal Communications Commission and a persistent advocate for net neutrality and the federal Lifeline program, announced her plans to step down from the commission today.
Clyburn was appointed to the FCC in 2009 by President Obama and is serving her second term as a commissioner. In 2013, she served as the acting chair of the agency, the first woman to hold the position. Currently, she is one of two Democrats on the commision.
Clyburn has vocally opposed the agency鈥檚 efforts to repeal net neutrality鈥攔egulations preventing internet service providers from prioritizing certain websites, or charging content providers for faster delivery speeds鈥攗nder Republican chairman Ajit Pai.
After the commission鈥檚 party-line vote to repeal net neutrality protections in December of last year, Clyburn in which she condemned the 鈥渇iercely-spun, legally-lightweight, consumer-harming, corporate enabling鈥� decision.
Clyburn also pushed for the modernization of the Lifeline program, a telecommunications subsidy for low-income families. Updates to the program in 2016 allowed recipients to use the monthly subsidy to cover stand-alone broadband access, as well as bundled phone and internet services.
Civil rights and education groups have said that the change was an important step toward closing the 鈥渉omework gap鈥�鈥攖he academic disadvantage faced by children are unable to complete online homework due to inadequate internet access.
In 2014, Clyburn was one of the commissioners who voted to modernize the federal E-Rate program, which provides funding for improvements to school and library telecommunications services. The modernization order, approved on a party-line vote under former Democratic FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, raised the annual spending cap on the program from $2.4 billion to $3.9 billion and prioritized high-speed broadband access.
After Clyburn鈥檚 announcement today, Jessica Rosenworcel, the other Democratic member of the commission, :
鈥淚t has been an honor to work alongside her to put consumers first and bring connectivity to those at greatest risk of being left behind鈥攗rban, rural, and everywhere in between. I am proud to have worked together with her to support net neutrality and grateful to have been her partner in her unwavering work to rememdy the grave injustice of exorbitant prison phone rates. As she departs this agency, she should know her legacy is intact because so many who work on communications policy will continue to be guided by her outstanding example.鈥�
Pai also , congratulating her on her service at the agency. 鈥淚 have enjoyed working with her and, even when we have not seen eye-to-eye on policy, I have always held her candor and thoughtfulness in the highest regard,鈥� he said.
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