Ajit Pai
Ajit Varadaraj Pai (born January 10, 1973) is an American attorney. He served as the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2017 to 2021. He is the first Indian American to hold the office.
Ajit Pai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission | |
| In office January 23, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Tom Wheeler |
| Succeeded by | Jessica Rosenworcel |
| Member of the Federal Communications Commission | |
| In office May 14, 2012 – January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Meredith Attwell Baker |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ajit Varadaraj Pai January 10, 1973 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Janine Van Lancker (m. 2010) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (AB) University of Chicago (JD) |
Early life
Pai was born in Buffalo, New York. He was raised in Parsons, Kansas. Pai studied at Harvard University and at the University of Chicago.
Early political career
He has served in various positions at the FCC since being appointed to the commission by President Barack Obama in May 2012, at the recommendation of Mitch McConnell. He was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on May 7, 2012, and was sworn in on May 14, 2012, for a five-year term.[1]
Chairman of the FCC
In January 2017, President Donald Trump named Pai as Chairman of the agency.[2][3]
In March 2017, Trump announced that he would renominate Pai to serve another five-year term at the FCC, which will require confirmation by the U.S. Senate.[4] Before his appointment to the FCC, Pai held positions with the Department of Justice, the United States Senate, the FCC's Office of General Counsel, and Verizon Communications.
On May 18, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission took the first formal step toward dismantling the net neutrality rules.[5]
Pai was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for an extra five-year term as FCC Chairman on October 2, 2017.[6]
He became well known in 2017 in his criticism and attempt to end the Obama-era policy net neutrality. It received wide criticism.
On November 30, 2020, Pai announced his plans to leave the FCC.[7] He resigned from his post as FCC Chairman on January 20, the day that Joe Biden was inaugurated as President of the United States.
Personal life
Pai lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife Janine Van Lancker, daughter Annabelle Malathi Pai, and son Alexander Madhav Pai.
References
- ↑ "Trump's FCC: Tom Wheeler to be replaced, set-top box reform could be dead". Nov 10, 2016.
- ↑ "President Trump Designates Ajit Pai as Chairman of FCC". Forbes. Jan 22, 2017.
- ↑ Devin Coldewey (January 23, 2017), Trump's FCC Chairman pick Ajit Pai heralds a weaker, meeker Commission, retrieved February 5, 2017
- ↑ Johnson, Ted (March 7, 2017). President Trump Renominates Ajit Pai for New FCC Term. Variety. https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/ajit-pai-donald-trump-fcc-1202003785/. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ↑ Harding McGill, Margaret (2017-05-18). "FCC kicks off effort to roll back net neutrality rules". Politico. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/18/fcc-net-neutrality-rules-238529. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
- ↑ Shepardson, David (October 2, 2017). Senate Confirms FCC Chairman to New Five-Year Term. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2017-10-02/us-senate-confirms-fcc-chairman-to-new-five-year-term. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ↑ Feiner, Lauren (2020-11-30). "FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down on January 20". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
Other websites
Media related to Ajit Pai at Wikimedia Commons
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