Nathan Alexander Simington
Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission
Assumed office
December 14, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byMichael O'Rielly
Personal details
Born
Nathan Alexander Simington

(1979-01-31) January 31, 1979[1]
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada[2]
SpouseLarisa Loredana Simington
Education
OccupationAttorney

Nathan Simington (born January 31, 1979) is a commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Simington previously served as a senior advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Prior to that, he had worked as an associate at Mayer Brown, Kirkland & Ellis, and Chapman and Cutler,[3] and as legal counsel at Brightstar Corporation.

Early life and education

Simington grew up in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and is a naturalized U.S. citizen.[4]

Simington grew up in a rural part of the province. His family were homesteaders in Saskatchewan in the early 1900s. He has said that radio played an important role in his life because growing up he had very few television channels to watch and the radio was "always on."[5]

Prior to being awarded a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School, Simington had pursued music, studying violin at Lawrence University, and earning a Master of the Arts in Music Theory from the Eastman School of Music.

Career

Commerce Department and FCC

After working at Brightstar Corporation, Simington served in the Department of Commerce for five months, until President Trump announced the nomination of Simington as an FCC commissioner, shortly after Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Jim Inhofe cancelled the second confirmation hearing before the United States Senate for the acting commissioner, Michael O'Rielly.[6][7]

Nominated in September, Simington's Senate approval was fast-tracked,[8] with an expected confirmation hearing expected to be held before the end of December.[9] In October, Trump urged an expedited process, tweeting, “Republicans need to get smart and confirm Nate Simington to the FCC ASAP!”[10] The confirmation hearing was scheduled for November 10, considered near-record time,[11] shortly after the 2020 United States elections.[12] The day before his confirmation hearing, President Trump tweeted that he "wanted action NOW on this very important confirmation hearing!" He underwent his first confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on November 10, 2020.[13] According to Bloomberg Law, he was met with a generally mixed response, including only "lukewarm support" from Republican members, casting doubts as to whether he could be confirmed before President-Elect Joseph Biden would assume office.[14] On December 8, 2020, the full United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a 49–46 vote.[15] Simington assumed office on December 14, 2020.[16]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/B5D95A14-20BC-4780-96BA-9CFD7887C51B
  2. ↑ https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/B5D95A14-20BC-4780-96BA-9CFD7887C51B
  3. ↑ "3 Things To Know About Nathan Simington's FCC Nomination - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Nathan Simington". Federal Communications Commission. December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  5. ↑ Stine, Randy J. (January 24, 2022). "Getting to Know Nathan Simington". Radio World. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  6. ↑ Kelly, Makena (September 10, 2020). "Trump eyes social media bias hawk as next FCC commissioner". The Verge. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Stop 2020 FCC confirmation of Trump's Nominee Nathan Simington". Access Now. November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ Alexandra S. Levine (October 16, 2020). "Biden-Post saga collides with Section 230". POLITICO. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  9. ↑ Alexandra S. Levine (October 13, 2020). "Facebook changes course to ban Holocaust denial". POLITICO. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Senate panel to hold hearing on FCC nominee after Trump's urging". Reuters. October 15, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  11. ↑ Alexandra S. Levine (October 16, 2020). "Biden-Post saga collides with Section 230". POLITICO. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Movement in Washington on Section 230". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  13. ↑ "PN2239 - Nomination of Nathan A. Simington for Federal Communications Commission, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Trump Pushes Nominee Who Backs Crackdown on Social Media (1)". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  15. ↑ Shepardson, David (December 8, 2020). "U.S. Senate confirms Trump's FCC nominee, Simington". Reuters. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  16. ↑ Shepardson, David (December 14, 2020). "Trump nominee takes seat at U.S. telecom regulator". Reuters. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
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