FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who has been deeply involved in North Carolina broadband issues as well as so-called “net neutrality,” says he is proud of the work the agency has done ahead of his resignation next month.

“Serving as FCCChairman during this period of historic technological change has been the greatest honor of my professional life. I am deeply grateful to the President [Obama] for giving me this opportunity,” Wheeler said in a statement issued Dec. 15.

“I am especially thankful to the talented Commission staff for their service and sacrifice during my tenure. Their achievements have contributed to a thriving communications sector, where robust investment and world-leading innovation continue to drive our economy and meaningful improvements in the lives of the American people.

“It has been a privilege to work with my fellow Commissioners to help protect consumers, strengthen public safety and cybersecurity, and ensure fast, fair and open networks for all Americans.”

Wheeler will step down as President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

The Wheeler-led FCC struck down a North Carolina law that limits the reach of municipal-owned broadband networks with Wheeler declaring”that dog won’t hunt.” The FCC action was later struck down by a federal court.

His resignation will leave a 2-1 Republican majority at the commission, which next year is likely to start paring back or overturning the measures that Wheeler pushed through in his three years at the FCC.

The former cable- and wireless-industry lobbyist championed policies that were intended to protect consumers and that rankled the phone and cable industries, including new “net neutrality” rules that prevent internet service providers from favoring their own sites and consumer online-privacy rules.

It’s typical for the FCC chairman to leave with a new administration, but there had been speculation that Wheeler might stay on. The agency is led by four commissioners and a chairman, and Wheeler could have stepped down as chairman and stayed as a commissioner. Trump will choose a new chairman.

Tom Wheeler’s bio

Source: The FCC

Tom Wheeler became the 31st Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on November 4, 2013. Chairman Wheeler was appointed by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate.

For over three decades, Chairman Wheeler has been involved with new telecommunications networks and services, experiencing the revolution in telecommunications as a policy expert, an advocate, and a businessman. As an entrepreneur, he started or helped start multiple companies offering innovative cable, wireless, and video communications services. He is the only person to be selected to both the Cable Television Hall of Fame and The Wireless Hall of Fame, a fact President Obama joked made him “The Bo Jackson of Telecom.”

Prior to joining the FCC, Chairman Wheeler was Managing Director at Core Capital Partners, a venture capital firm investing in early stage Internet Protocol (IP)-based companies. He served as President and CEO of Shiloh Group, LLC, a strategy development and private investment company specializing in telecommunications services and co-founded SmartBrief, the internet’s largest electronic information service for vertical markets. From 1976 to 1984, Chairman Wheeler was associated with the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), where he was President and CEO from 1979 to 1984. Following NCTA, Chairman Wheeler was CEO of several high tech companies, including the first company to offer high speed delivery of data to home computers and the first digital video satellite service. From 1992 to 2004, Chairman Wheeler served as President and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA).

Chairman Wheeler wrote Take Command: Leadership Lessons of the Civil War (Doubleday, 2000) and Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War (HarperCollins, 2006). His commentaries on current events have been published in the Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, and other leading publications.Presidents Clinton and Bush each appointed Chairman Wheeler a Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he served for 12 years. He is also the former Chairman and President of the Foundation for the National Archives, the non-profit organization dedicated to telling the American Story through its documents, and a former board member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Chairman Wheeler is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and the recipient of its Alumni Medal. He resides in Washington, D.C.