Trump appoints Ajit Pai to head communications agency

New York : President Donald Trump has appointed Ajit Pai to head the powerful US communications regulatory agency, becoming the third Indian American picked for key positions in his administration.
Pai, 44, will be the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the federal authority regulating cellphone spectrum and services, radio, television, phone, internet and satellite and cable.Pai announced his appointment on Twitter, saying he was told of it on Monday and that “it is a deeply humbling honour”. He added that he would work to bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans.The FCC also has a major role in controlling the content of television and radio, a sensitive issue given Trump’s contentious relations with the media.
The agency sets and enforces certain norms on content like obscenity in TV and conditions like having a certain amount of local news content for stations to keep their licences.
Underscoring its importance, Representative Frank Pallone said: “By some measures, the FCC oversees approximately one sixth of the US economy.” Nikki Haley, Trump’s nominee for the cabinet-level post of US ambassador to the UN, is scheduled to be recommended on Tuesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for approval by the entire Senate for the job.Another Trump nominee is Seema Verma, who is to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency for government health insurance programmes.