Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is willing to leave his post right away if it helps fellow Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel get reconfirmed by the US Senate.

Senate Republicans have been saying for months that they won't give Rosenworcel another five-year term on the commission unless Wheeler commits to leaving the commission. Since Donald Trump won the presidential election, the commission's 3-2 Democratic majority will inevitably shift to a Republican majority. But just who will be on the FCC when it's controlled by the GOP is not certain.

If Wheeler resigns, the Senate could reconfirm Rosenworcel and still get a 3-2 Republican majority after Trump nominates a new Republican commissioner. Alternatively, Republicans could try to get a majority even sooner by pushing Rosenworcel out and hoping Wheeler leaves anyway.

"Earlier this week, Chairman Wheeler committed to [Senate Minority Leader] Harry Reid [D-Nev.] that he’d be willing to step down immediately if it would ensure Commissioner Rosenworcel’s confirmation," an FCC spokesperson told Ars last night. The spokesperson declined to make any further comment.

Rosenworcel's term expired last year and she can stay in her post only until the end of this month unless the Senate reconfirms her. But even with Wheeler's assurance, Republicans may no longer be willing to vote on Rosenworcel.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) claimed that there isn't enough time. “My sense is that we’re kind of up against the clock now,” Thune told Morning Consult yesterday. “And it’s going to be very hard, even if Wheeler was agreeable to stepping down, to be able to get all this done between now and the time we go out.”

Congress is already wrapping up its current session and is occupied with a spending bill that is needed to avert a government shutdown.

"Thune said it’s still possible Rosenworcel could be nominated again next year, perhaps as a part of a deal to reconfirm Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai," the Morning Consult article said. All commissioners are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but the president generally nominates opposing party commissioners based on suggestions from the opposing party's leadership.

Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat who served from 2001 to 2011, called the notion that there isn't time to reconfirm Rosenworcel "utter nonsense."

Repubs say there’s no time to confirm @JRosenworcel before recess. Utter nonsense. Senate #DoYourJob — Michael Copps (@coppsm) December 9, 2016

GOP could gain immediate FCC majority

Refusing to extend Rosenworcel's stay at the commission could provide a short-term benefit to Republicans. If both she and Wheeler leave, the GOP would have a 2-1 majority. If only one Democrat leaves, there could be a 2-2 deadlock until a new Republican is nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.

A spokesperson for Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), told Politico that the senator “supports efforts to ensure a 2-1 Republican majority at the FCC so that we can begin to roll back the burdensome regulations it recently issued.” Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) argued on Wednesday that the Senate should not confirm Rosenworcel because Trump “should be the one that should be able to make that next appointment to the FCC."

Wheeler could stymie Republican efforts to gain an immediate 2-1 majority by staying on the commission after Trump's inauguration. Wheeler won't be able to remain chairman after the inauguration because Trump can appoint a new chair, but Wheeler could remain as a commissioner to preserve a 2-2 tie until another Democrat is confirmed.

Complicating matters even further, Rosenworcel is not universally beloved by Democrats in Congress. Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) briefly objected to Rosenworcel's confirmation last month. They dropped their objections the next day, but not before criticizing Rosenworcel for opposing an FCC proposal to require pay-TV operators to make free TV applications. The measure would have helped cable customers avoid renting TV set-top boxes, and Rosenworcel said she supported it in principle, but raised "technical and legal concerns" that delayed an FCC vote in September. The delay, combined with Trump's election victory, sunk the proposal entirely.

However, Rosenworcel supported key Democratic policies during Wheeler's chairmanship, such as the reclassification of ISPs as common carriers and passage of rules protecting network neutrality and the privacy of broadband customers.

No matter what happens with Rosenworcel, Wheeler's chairmanship is coming to a close next month at the latest. Wheeler, who spearheaded numerous consumer protection regulations that were bitterly opposed by Internet service providers and Republicans in Congress, has already agreed to halt major rulemakings during his remaining weeks at the GOP's request.