FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has announced his resignation effective upon Donald Trump’s inauguration. The President-elect has not yet announced his choice to replace Wheeler, but it’s a safe bet that the new Republican majority on the Commission will encourage a more freewheeling regulatory climate.
This blog has followed closely Wheeler’s efforts to force cable operators to permit competition from third-party set-top box providers. Although the proposal nominally promotes free market competition, the two current Republican FCC commissioners have expressed their opposition to the proposal. There is good reason to expect that it will not survive in the new administration.