What Trump's New FCC Pick Means for Your Internet and Phone Service

President Donald Trump has nominated Danielle Thumann Severs, a top legal adviser to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, to fill one of two empty seats at the Federal Communications Commission. The nomination was announced on August 7, 2026 (Reuters). The job comes with a five-year term (Light Reading).

The FCC is the government agency that regulates television, radio, phone service, internet access, and wireless communications in the United States. Congress designed it to have five commissioners, with no more than three from the same political party, so that no single party has total control. Right now, only three seats are filled: two Republicans (Carr and Olivia Trusty) and one Democrat (Anna Gomez). Two seats are empty.

If the Senate confirms Thumann Severs, she would become the third Republican on the commission, giving the FCC four members total: three Republicans and one Democrat. That matters because the FCC needs at least three members present to hold official votes, a requirement called a quorum. With three Republicans, the agency could pass measures even if Gomez does not participate (The Verge).

Gomez's official term has expired, but she is allowed to stay on the commission until the end of 2027 unless her seat is filled or she is re-nominated (The Verge). She has used her position to call attention to FCC actions she believes violate the First Amendment and has opposed rules that would make it easier for companies to buy up multiple local TV and radio stations (The Verge). As the only Democrat on the commission, her dissenting votes have drawn public attention to how the agency operates under Carr.

The political background is relevant. Trump previously fired both Democratic commissioners at a separate agency, the Federal Trade Commission, without giving a reason, and the Supreme Court ruled he had the authority to do so (The Verge). Both Carr and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson have supported a legal framework called the unitary executive theory, which says all executive branch power belongs to the president (The Verge). The FCC has traditionally been treated as an independent agency, meaning it is not supposed to be under direct presidential control. The unitary executive framework, backed by the Supreme Court's ruling on the FTC firings, pushes against that independence.

Under Carr, who became chairman on January 20, 2025, the FCC has spent the past nine months taking actions aimed at what the U.S. government calls national security risks in the communications sector (Reuters. Carr was confirmed unanimously by the Senate three times before being named chairman (FCC).

Thumann Severs, who goes by the professional name Thumann, works as senior counsel to Carr and has been an adviser on his staff (ABA Banking Journal; Reuters). Nominating a chairman's own senior lawyer to a commissioner seat would, if she is confirmed, tighten the alignment between the chairman's office and the commission's voting majority. The telecom industry has responded positively to the choice (Light Reading).

The quorum rules have real-world effects. Decisions about how radio frequencies are divided among users, broadband internet expansion, corporate mergers, and whether foreign-owned communications equipment poses a national security risk all require commission votes. A three-member agency can still function, but a four-member commission with a 3-1 Republican majority would let the Republican side act on its own without any Democratic votes. There is a catch, though: with an even number of commissioners, a 2-2 tie means a measure fails to pass.

The broader context here is about how independent the FCC really is. If the Supreme Court's endorsement of presidential removal power means the FCC is losing its independent status, then a commission staffed by members aligned with the chairman, who is in turn aligned with the president, brings the agency's output closer to the president's policy goals. Whether that amounts to a lasting structural change or a temporary political alignment that fits within existing law is a question that will play out during the confirmation process and future commission votes.

For people who work in technology and telecom, the practical effects are clear. The FCC under Carr has already signaled it plans to act aggressively on national security risks in communications infrastructure. A stronger Republican majority would face fewer procedural roadblocks in pursuing that agenda. Radio frequency policy, the rules for approving communications equipment, and the effort to remove Chinese telecom companies from U.S. networks are all on the commission's to-do list. A fourth commissioner who comes directly from the chairman's office is unlikely to push back on those priorities.

The timeline is uncertain. Senate confirmation of FCC commissioners has historically taken anywhere from weeks to months, depending on the political calendar and whether the nomination faces opposition. The fifth seat, which would bring the commission to its full five members, has not been filled, and no nomination has been announced. In the meantime, a four-member FCC would be the working setup, assuming Thumann Severs is confirmed.