Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will step down from the Federal Communications Commission this spring. He did not specify a date.
Starks was nominated by President Trump to fill a Democratic seat to succeed Mignon Clyburn in 2018. He was confirmed by the Senate in early 2019. Starks was renominated in 2023 by President Biden for a new term that was to run until mid-2027.
Starks says he informed Trump and Sen. Chuck Schumer on Wednesday of his decision. He said he has been “inspired by the passion, engagement and commitment I have seen from colleagues, advocates and industry” during his tenure.
Among issues of interest to radio broadcasters, Starks has been a proponent of allowing geotargeting on FM stations using boosters, as proposed by GeoBroadcast Solutions for its ZoneCasting technology.
He favored the return of the controversial Form 395-B to collect employee data from broadcasters, opposed the easing of ownership caps and threw his support behind AM broadcasters in their battle to keep the band in vehicles. He also was vocal about “the persistent lack of diversity in broadcast media ownership, and among its rank and file,” as he said in 2019.
Before becoming commissioner, Starks helped lead the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, handling a variety of complex investigations, according to his bio. Prior to that he worked in the Department of Justice.
Filling the seats
The commission normally has five members but currently has two from each major political party. The Senate has yet to confirm Olivia Trusty, a Republican nominated by President Trump to fill the seat left by former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
However, one observer of the FCC believes the timing of Starks’ departure will coincide with another development.
Scott Flick, partner with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, says Starks probably opted not to leave immediately lest his departure give the FCC a Republican majority before the confirmation of Trusty, which Flick expects in the coming months.
“Once the fifth commissioner is confirmed by the Senate, there will be a Republican majority at the FCC, and Commissioner Starks can then depart without affecting the political balance,” he told Radio World in an email.
The Starks departure then would give Republicans a 3–1 majority.
Flick noted speculation about another possible pending change: “It is likely that Commissioner (Nathan) Simington will then soon depart, which would still leave Republicans with a 2–1 majority at the FCC. At that point, the president can take his time nominating replacement commissioners, which would be one Republican and one Democrat. The Senate would likely pair their confirmation processes.”
He “put in the work”
“Serving the American people as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission has been the honor of my life,” Starks said in a statement. “With my extraordinary fellow commissioners and the incredible career staff at the agency, we have worked hard to connect all Americans, promote innovation, protect consumers and ensure national security.”
Chairman Brendan Carr, a Republican, has often voted on the other side of contentious issues than Starks, but he called the Democrat a friend as well as a colleague. Carr said Starks led many of the FCC’s national security initiatives and worked with Carr on important matters including promoting innovations, protecting consumers and bringing families across the digital divide.
“Commissioner Starks put in the work and leaves an impressive legacy of accomplishments in public service. I always learned a lot from him and benefited from the many events we held together. … He has had a tremendous run in public service.”
Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez saluted Starks for his career in public service and commitment to protecting consumers and strengthening the country’s communications networks.
“His expertise on national security issues and his deep understanding of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau have been instrumental in advancing the agency’s mission,” she said in a statement.
One person who was not a fan of Starks was Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas. In 2023 he criticized Starks for resisting “sensible efforts” to root out waste in a broadband subsidy program. “During his four and half years at the FCC, he’s developed a record that leaves much to be desired,” Cruz said at the time. “He stayed silent when the FCC chairwoman abused the agency’s process to kill a major multi-billion-dollar broadcast transaction. He claims to be tough on waste, fraud and abuse, but has opposed key recommendations to reduce fraud in the Affordable Connectivity Program apparently because he doesn’t want to bar illegal aliens from receiving taxpayer-funded subsidies.”
