Nathan Simington
{{Short description|FCC commissioner}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Nathan Simington
| image = Nathan Simington official photo.jpg
| office = Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission
| president = Donald Trump
Joe Biden
| term_start = December 14, 2020
| term_end =
| predecessor = Michael O'Rielly
| successor =
| birth_name = Nathan Alexander Simington
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|1|31}}
| birth_place = Saskatoon, Canada
| spouse = Larisa Loredana
| education = {{plainlist|
}}
Nathan Alexander Simington (born January 31, 1979)https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/B5D95A14-20BC-4780-96BA-9CFD7887C51B 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,{{Cite web |title=3 Things To Know About Nathan Simington's FCC Nomination - Law360 |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1311658/3-things-to-know-about-nathan-simington-s-fcc-nomination |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=www.law360.com |language=en}} 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.{{cite web | title=Nathan Simington | url=https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/nathan-simington#bio | work=Federal Communications Commission | date=December 14, 2020 | access-date=December 25, 2020}}
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."{{Cite web |last=Stine |first=Randy J. |date=2022-01-24 |title=Getting to Know Nathan Simington |url=https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/getting-to-know-nathan-simington |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=Radio World |language=en-US}}
Simington received a Bachelor of Music in violin performance at Lawrence University, earned a Master of Music in violin performance and a Master of Arts in music theory from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, and was awarded a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.
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.{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=Makena|date=2020-09-10|title=Trump eyes social media bias hawk as next FCC commissioner|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/10/21431384/donald-trump-fcc-nomination-section-230-executive-order-bias-conservative|access-date=2020-11-11|website=The Verge|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2020-11-12|title=Stop 2020 FCC confirmation of Trump's Nominee Nathan Simington|url=https://www.accessnow.org/stop-trumps-pro-censorship-fcc-nominee-nathan-simington/|access-date=2021-08-08|website=Access Now|language=en}}
Nominated in September, Simington's Senate approval was fast-tracked,{{Cite web|last=Alexandra S. Levine|title=Biden-Post saga collides with Section 230|url=https://politi.co/3dvAbmV|access-date=2020-11-11|website=POLITICO|date=October 16, 2020 |language=en}} with a confirmation hearing expected to be held before the end of December.{{Cite web|last=Alexandra S. Levine|title=Facebook changes course to ban Holocaust denial|url=https://politi.co/3iYbJLU|access-date=2020-11-11|website=POLITICO|date=October 13, 2020 |language=en}} In October, Trump urged an expedited process, tweeting, “Republicans need to get smart and confirm Nate Simington to the FCC ASAP!”{{Cite news|date=2020-10-15|title=U.S. Senate panel to hold hearing on FCC nominee after Trump's urging|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trumpp-fcc-idUSKBN27031R|access-date=2020-11-11}} The confirmation hearing was scheduled for November 10, considered near-record time,{{Cite web|last=Alexandra S. Levine|title=Biden-Post saga collides with Section 230|url=https://politi.co/3dvAbmV|access-date=2020-11-11|website=POLITICO|date=October 16, 2020 |language=en}} shortly after the 2020 United States elections.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-02|title=Movement in Washington on Section 230|url=https://www.rcfp.org/tech-press-freedom-nov-1-2020/|access-date=2020-11-11|website=The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press|language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-10|title=PN2239 - Nomination of Nathan A. Simington for Federal Communications Commission, 116th Congress (2019-2020)|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/2239|access-date=2020-11-11|website=www.congress.gov}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Trump Pushes Nominee Who Backs Crackdown on Social Media (1)|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/tech-and-telecom-law/trump-pushes-nominee-who-backs-crackdown-on-social-media-1|access-date=2020-11-11|website=news.bloomberglaw.com|language=en}} On December 8, 2020, the full United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a 49–46 vote.{{Cite news|last=Shepardson|first=David|date=2020-12-08|title=U.S. Senate confirms Trump's FCC nominee, Simington|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tech-fcc-idUSKBN28I2VN|access-date=2020-12-09}} Simington assumed office on December 14, 2020.{{cite web | last1=Shepardson | first1=David | title=Trump nominee takes seat at U.S. telecom regulator | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-tech-fcc/trump-nominee-takes-seat-at-u-s-telecom-regulator-idUSKBN28O20B | date=December 14, 2020 | work=Reuters | access-date=January 21, 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/nathan-simington#bio FCC biography]
{{Federal Communications Commission}}
{{FCCcom}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simington, Nathan}}
Category:21st-century American lawyers
Category:University of Michigan alumni
Category:Lawrence University alumni
Category:Eastman School of Music alumni
Category:Members of the Federal Communications Commission
Category:First Trump administration personnel
Category:United States Department of Commerce officials
Category:People associated with Mayer Brown