It’s fitting in the age of social media that Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore on Tuesday signaled on his Twitter account that CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein will end his five-year reign in January 2012, and not be reappointed.

“We thank Mr. von Finckenstein for his service as chair of the CRTC. The selection process of a new CRTC chair will be announced soon,” Moore tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

Around the same time, the CRTC chair confirmed via an internal memo that he’ll be gone by January.

A pro-consumer federal government and von Finckenstein have consistently clashed in recent years on a range of issues, including foreign ownership of Canadian telecom assets and usage-based billing for internet subscribers.