In late March, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Julius Genachowski announced he would be leaving his post in the coming weeks after four years at the helm.
Since then, speculation in Washington DC about the identity of his…
In late March, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Julius Genachowski announced he would be leaving his post in the coming weeks after four years at the helm.
Since then, speculation in Washington DC about the identity of his successor has been rife. A number of names have been touted that President Barack Obama might pick for the role: Larry Strickling, assistant secretary at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA); FCC Democrat commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel; former Obama adviser Karen Kornbluh; Catherine Sandoval, a onetime director of the Office of Communications Business Opportunities for the FCC; and Tom Wheeler, a venture capitalist and a former lobbyist for the cable and mobile industries.
Speaking to lawyers in the US capital, two of these candidates seem to have stolen ahead – Rosenworcel and Wheeler.
Rosenworcel has already won the backing of 37 Democratic senators, who sent a letter to Obama urging him to appoint her. That move was instigated by Jay Rockefeller, Democratic senator from West Virginia, on whose staff Rosenworcel used to serve.
Rosenworcel only joined the FCC in May 2012, but is streets ahead of her fellow, more senior Democrat commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “I’m not hearing [Clyburn’s] name,” said Andrew Lipman, partner at Bingham McCutchen, adding however that Clyburn may well take the role on an interim basis, between Genachowski’s departure and the appointment of his successor.
Dana Frix, managing partner at Chadbourne & Parke, felt that the fact Rosenworcel would be the FCC’s first ever female chair helped her case – the Women’s Media Center has sent a letter to Obama lobbying him to appoint a woman – but that Rockefeller’s political influence was dwindling as he has announced plans to retire from the senate next year.
Meanwhile, Frix said that Wheeler would do a “fine job” if he was given the chairmanship. He has led both the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA).
Wheeler, described by Lipman as a “long-time Washington hand”, was also a fundraiser for Obama and has worked in venture capital since 2005. “I think he’d make a very good chairman,” Lipman said. “I would say he’s the leading candidate.”
As a new appointee to the commission, Wheeler would have to be confirmed by the Senate, although Lipman said he would expect Wheeler to gain bipartisan support. The venture capitalist may nonetheless face some opposition from public interest groups, which dislike the idea of a former lobbyist for the industry taking charge of the commission. However, their influence is limited.
Tom Magee, partner at Keller and Heckman, was in favour of Wheeler taking over the post and said his priority would be freeing up spectrum. “[He] would be a good pick so long as he does not favour commercial wireless providers at the expense of our oil, gas and electric utility infrastructure clients that desperately need spectrum for their private wireless systems.”
