Jerry Ellig Named Chief Economist for the Federal Communications Commission

Jerry Ellig, senior research fellow for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and contributor to SmartRegs, has been named as the Chief economist for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Ellig will take a leave of absence from Mercatus to serve the one-year term which begins on July 10, 2017.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to advise a regulatory commission whose chairman has publicly committed to improving the quality and use of economic analysis for rulemakings and long-term planning,” Ellig said. “This is the ultimate challenge for a researcher in public policy: to show how scholarly research has practical value for decision-makers.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praised Ellig, “I’m excited that Dr. Ellig will lend his talents to the FCC as we continue to integrate economic analysis into our decision-making and create an agency culture that supports big-picture economic thinking once again. Dr. Ellig’s record of distinguished scholarship and prior government service makes him the right person for this job.”

SmartRegs has been honored to have Jerry Ellig as a contributor and we are excited to see all of the great work he will do at the FCC.