Michael Powell, the former head of US telecoms regulator FCC, has been appointed as president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).
The NCTA said in a statement that Powell will be “the cable industry’s leading advocate,…
Michael Powell, the former head of US telecoms regulator FCC, has been appointed as president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).
The NCTA said in a statement that Powell will be “the cable industry’s leading advocate, spokesman and representative” in its relationships with politicians, federal agencies and regulators.
Powell was chairman of the FCC from 2001 to 2005. During his time at the telecoms regulator, he was seen as an opponent of more regulation. Some of his critics suggested that he was too strong a supporter of big business.
He is currently a senior adviser at the US private equity firm Providence Equity Partners.
Powell is also an honorary co-chair of Broadband for America, a coalition of public interest groups, content and service providers, which aims to make broadband internet available to every household in the US.
Powell’s appointment comes after one Democrat Senator has warned of the lobbying power of corporates in the debate over net neutrality.
Franken also said that a major advantage of the “big corporations” was the ability “to purchase favourable outcomes”.
He said that the large telcos were employing lobbyists – “lots of them, good ones too” – to argue their case.
He said: “This means that every policymaker in Washington is hearing much more from the anti-net neutrality corporate side than they are from the side without the lobbyists.”
