She defended net neutrality. Now, SC's Mignon Clyburn is leaving the FCC
The South Carolina woman who is one of the five people overseeing the sprawling U.S. telecommunications industry is stepping down.
Mignon Clyburn told a meeting Tuesday of the Federal Communications Commission that she intends to step down as a commissioner within the next month, several media outlets reported.
"I’ve done all I know to do. And it’s time for me to serve in another way," Clyburn said, according to Politico.
Clyburn is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia. She was appointed to the FCC by President Barack Obama in 2009. When Democrats held the majority on the commission, Clyburn briefly chaired the FCC, the first woman to do so.
Most recently, Clyburn was in the news for her defense of net neutrality regulations, which were repealed last year by the commission's Republican majority.
At the time of that vote in December, Clyburn delivered a passionate defense of net neutrality, declaring, “I dissent from this … legally lightweight, consumer harming, corporate enabling, destroying internet freedom order.”
On Tuesday, Clyburn told her colleagues, "It's been the most incredible opportunity for me. In my wildest dreams, if I could have crafted my destiny, I never would have dreamed of this," according to the website Engadget.
The FCC, an independent agency, regulates the country’s telecommunications industry — from the cable and wireless sectors to what appears on the airwaves.
Prior to becoming an FCC commissioner, Clyburn was the publisher of a weekly African-American newspaper in Charleston and a member of the S.C. Public Service Commission.
Because seats on the FCC traditionally are split along party lines, Clyburn is likely to be replaced by another Democrat.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who clashed with Clyburn over net neutrality, praised her "distinguished tenure" in a tweet.
"You leave behind a rich legacy and many friends," he said. "Godspeed and thank you for your public service."
The news might come as a surprise to Clyburn's father, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House. Clyburn told fellow commissioners she had not told her parents before announcing she was stepping down, Engadget reported.
"I forgot to tell my mom I was doing this, so I'm in a lot of trouble," she said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 3:10 PM with the headline "She defended net neutrality. Now, SC's Mignon Clyburn is leaving the FCC."