Micheal Clements, NAFB News Service

Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai (Uh-JEET Pie) will step down January 20, 2021, the day President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in. In a statement released Monday, the rural Kansas native said, “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission.” Pai was appointed to the commission in 2012 by President Barack Obama, and made chairman by President Donald Trump in 2017. Pai used his time at the FCC focusing on rural broadband issues, among other things. Pai’s term was set to expire in June 2021. The now outgoing chairman mentioned successes in his time, such as closing the digital divide, promoting innovation and competition, from 5G on the ground to broadband from space, protecting consumers, and advancing public safety. Pai grew up in Parsons, Kansas and attended Harvard and the University of Chicago Law School. Pai was the first Asian-American to chair the FCC, which he calls a “particular privilege.”