WASHINGTON—In an announcement that could delay efforts to eliminate broadcast ownership rules and other regulations, Federal Communications Commission member Geoffrey Starks said he “will be leaving the Commission at the end of the week, June 6, 2025.”
Starks, a Democrat, had previously announced that he would be leaving before the FCC’s June 26 open meeting. His departure, coupled with that of Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington the same day, means the FCC will only have two Commissioners starting next week and will not have a quorum for votes until a new member is confirmed.
President Donald Trump has nominated Olivia Trusty to serve on the FCC. In late April the Senate Commerce Committee voted to confirm Trusty, a Republican, and send the nomination to the full Senate for a vote. That vote is still pending.
The departure of Starks and Simington puts additional pressure on the Senate to confirm Trusty prior to the June 26 open meeting and raises the prospect the agency's efforts to get rid of broadcast ownership rules could be further delayed.
In a blog post, FCC Chair Brendan Carr did not address what would happen with the agenda for the June open meeting if the agency lacks a quorum for votes.
“I want to express my thanks and appreciation to Commissioner Starks and Commissioner Simington for their public service, as both have announced today that they will be departing the FCC by the end of this week,” Carr wrote. “I wish them all the best in their next endeavors. But, as the saying goes, the show must go on. The FCC continues to have a busy agenda, and the agency will keep delivering great results for the American people. There’s a lot of time between now and our scheduled June 26 Commission meeting. So I wanted to lay out a couple of items that I would like to get done at the meeting if we can. Stay tuned on that front. What does he mean by that? I just said stay tuned. We always make a final decision about the Commission meeting and its agenda closer to the meeting date. We will do so again here.”
In his final statement, Starks noted: “Serving as a Commissioner has been the highlight of my career. I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved together. I want to thank my team, and all of the parties that work alongside the commission—from industry to public-sector advocates—for their collaboration and partnership. Most importantly, I want to thank the staff of the Commission—in my opinion, the very best of public servants. And, of course, thank you to all of my fellow Commissioners, past and present. Finally, I want to thank my amazing family for their love and support as I worked on behalf of the American people.”
