Senate Sets Sept. 17 Hearing for FCC Nominee

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, September 11, 2026 | 4:25pm CT

Danielle Thumann Severs

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a nomination hearing September 17 for Danielle Thumann Severs, President Donald Trump's nominee to fill a vacant seat on the Federal Communications Commission. The hearing is scheduled for 10:30am ET in the Russell Senate Office Building.

Trump formally submitted Severs' nomination to the Senate on August 7 for a five-year term dating from July 1, 2024. She was nominated for the seat previously held by Republican Nathan Simington, and the nomination was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.

Severs currently serves as Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, advising him on matters before the Wireline Competition Bureau, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. She previously served as a legal advisor in Carr's office from 2021 to 2023 and returned to the FCC in August 2024 following work in the private sector on government relations for a telecommunications infrastructure provider.

Before joining the FCC, Severs practiced communications law in Washington, DC. She earned her law degree from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law and a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.

If confirmed by the Senate, Severs would give the FCC three Republican commissioners. The agency currently has Chairman Carr and Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez.

Following the hearing, senators can submit additional written questions before the Commerce Committee considers whether to advance the nomination to the full Senate.

The hearing comes one day after the committee is scheduled to hold a markup that includes the JAWBONE Act, legislation addressing federal government interactions with social media companies, AI platforms and broadcasters.