No surprises as White House taps new FCC commissioners

The White House finally nominated two choices for the Federal Communications Commission on Monday, tapping two longtime Washington telecom hands -- Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai.

To fill a Democratic seat at the agency, to be vacated soon by Commissioner Michael Copps, the administration chose Rosenworcel, the senior communications counsel for Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. Before heading to Capitol Hill, she worked at the FCC for as a top aide for Copps and as a bureau-level staffer.

Filling the GOP seat, vacated this year by former FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker, the administration selected Pai, a partner at Jenner & Block. He is also a former FCC aide, having left the agency in April after last serving as deputy general counsel.

The FCC nominations are usually paired in a bipartisan way to give senators in both parties an incentive to vote them through. The nominees are expected to get a Senate Commerce hearing.