In choosing to step down now, Clyburn said her main priority is to remain true to herself and her views.
“I really think that I will probably be more vocal, to be honest, to more people, especially the ones that I am not permitted to speak to or be an advocate in front of -- like other elected and appointed officials,” Clyburn said. “Wearing this regulatory hat, I’m not allowed to do so. When I walk out the door for the last time, I am excited about having more freedom of expression to really make the business case on the outside about full inclusion when it comes to consumers and small businesses and urban communities that have been red-lined.”
As a commissioner, Clyburn has advocated for the Lifeline program and inmate call reform as necessary steps to help marginalized communities. She has also been an outspoken supporter of net neutrality and voted in support of the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order that codified those rules.
Despite the GOP-controlled agency voting along party lines to repeal the Open Internet Order last year, Clyburn said she remains optimistic about net neutrality’s future. She pointed to the passionate responses of supporters at both the state and federal level, including congressional efforts to advance a Congressional Review Act resolution that would overturn the FCC’s repeal.
“People are reacting to what I think was a terrible wrong turn that the FCC majority took in December,” Clyburn said. “They want to protect their citizens and enable competition and investment, and the best way we can achieve all of those goals was through the 2015 order, which I believe struck that balance.”
There has been speculation that Clyburn, the daughter of Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the No. 3 Democrat in the House, might seek political office in her post-agency years. Clyburn said she has no announcement to make about such plans at this time.
“I’m going to give it a try as Mignon Clyburn, private citizen, or Mignon Clyburn, change agent, without any type of title attached to my name,” she said. “I really think I can continue to make a difference and be effective with so many challenges that we have in our communities, and I feel like I can be effective on the outside. And I’m going to give that a try for the next few years.”
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