Washington, Dec 1 Ajit Pai, the first Asian-American to chair the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has announced plans to leave the commission the day when President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to take the oath on January 20.
Pai who has been a key force behind the 5G adoption in the US along with taking a tougher stand on the Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE and undoing the net neutrality rules, served on the FCC since 2012.
"I am grateful to President (Donald) Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, to President (Barack) Obama for appointing me as a Commissioner in 2012, and to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the Senate for twice confirming me," Pai said in a statement.
"To be the first Asian-American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America".
In July, the US FCC designated Chinese telecom companies Huawei and ZTE as national security risks to America's communications networks.
"We cannot and will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to exploit network vulnerabilities and compromise our critical communications infrastructure," Pai had said.
In a latest statement on Monday, Pai said: "The FCC has not shied away from making tough choices. As a result, our nation's communications networks are now faster, stronger, and more widely deployed than ever before".
Pai placed particular emphasis on the procedural transparency measures he put in place.
"For the first time ever, we've made public drafts of the proposals and orders slated for a vote three weeks before the agency's monthly meetings, making this the most transparent FCC in history".
Last month, in the wake of latest controversy where Facebook and Twitter restricted the spread of an article criticising Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Pai had said that the agency will revisit the Section 230 of the Communications Act that applies to social media and Internet companies.
( With inputs from IANS )
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