Donald Trump May Appoint An Indian-American To Head US Communications Regulatory Agency

Ajit Pai, a commissioner in the US communications regulatory agency, has met President-elect Donald Trump amid speculation that he could head the body that deals with cellphone spectrum and broadcasting. Trump's spokesperson Sean Spicer said on Tuesday that the meeting with Pai, who is the Republican nominee on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), took place on Monday.

Pai, whose parents are doctors who immigrated from India, is a lawyer and has served with the government, Congress and the private sector. A free enterprise advocate in the Republican mould, he has been a critic of the functioning of the FCC and has clashed with its leadership.

Trump has nominated two Indian-Americans to high-level positions: Nikki Haley as the Cabinet-level Ambassador to the United Nations, and Seema Verma as the head of the agency for government health insurance programmes.

In addition, Trump has appointed Raj Shah as his deputy assistant and research director on the White House staff. Another Indian American, Balaji Srinivasan, met Trump last week and Spicer said that he was under consideration for a role at the the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

With inputs from IANS