Current FCC chairman Ajit Pai has announced that he will leave the Federal Communications Commission on January 20, 2021, the same day that President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in.

Pai joined the FCC as a commissioner in 2012 and was appointed chairman by President Trump in 2017. At that time, Pai was appointed for a five-year term. He won't end up serving that full term, but it's also common for FCC chairmen to serve four years and change when there's a new president as the last several FCC chairmen have done.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as Chairman of the FCC over the past four years," Pai said. "I am grateful to President Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, to President Obama for appointing me as a Commissioner in 2012, and to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the Senate for twice confirming me. To be the first Asian-American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America."

Pai has overseen some major moves by the FCC over the past four years. One of his most notable decisions related to mobile was throwing his support behind the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, which reduced the number of major U.S. carriers from four to three.

There's no word yet on who might be the next chairman of the FCC. President-elect Biden will nominate the successor to Pai when he gets into office early next year.