Simington Announces Early Exit from FCC
Commission to enter 1-1 partisan split with Simington and Starks stepping down
Jericho Casper
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2025 – Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington announced Wednesday that he will step down at the end of this week, marking an early departure.
Simington, a Republican appointee, saw his five-year term conclude on June 30, 2024, but under FCC rules, he was eligible to remain through January 3, 2026, or until a successor was confirmed by the Senate.
Just a year ago, Simington had expressed interest in staying on, but many industry observers noted he faced steep odds for renomination.
His decision to resign early could reflect internal FCC dynamics, changes in administration strategy, or a new professional opportunity. It may also serve to accelerate the nomination process for a Republican successor while the Senate remains favorable to confirmation.
Notably, Simington’s role at the FCC had grown more hyperpartisan in recent months, with the addition of conservative media strategist Gavin Wax to his office in April. His public statements became more frequent and forceful, particularly on issues of reducing government staff and spending and overhauling the FCC’s media ownership regulations.
His proposals included reclassifying streaming platforms like YouTube TV as regulated video providers, and capping reverse retransmission fees at 30%, that broadcast networks like CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX can charge their local affiliate stations for the right to carry and air national programming.
In a Daily Caller op-ed published May 27, Simington argued that “once-visionary” media ownership rules “now work against their original purpose.”
Simington’s departure comes the same month as that of Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, leaving the FCC in a 1-1 partisan deadlock between Republican Chairman Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez. The commission is still awaiting Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee, Republican Olivia Trusty, whose appointment has stalled for weeks.
Trump tapped Simington, then a senior adviser at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, to be an FCC commissioner in 2020 after revoking his renomination of incumbent Mike O'Rielly – who spoke out against the administration’s efforts to regulate online content moderation by altering Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Trump pushed intensely for Simington’s nomination in the final days of his first term, urging the Senate to expedite the nomination process, tweeting in October 2020, “Republicans need to get smart and confirm Nate Simington to the FCC ASAP!”
The day before Simington’s confirmation hearing on November 10, 2020, President Trump tweeted that he "wanted action NOW on this very important confirmation hearing!"
Simington was confirmed by a narrow 49–46 Senate vote on December 8, 2020, and assumed office less than a week later.
