Obama's top picks for FCC Chairman (per Reuters)

[snowbear]

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Obama tech appointments seen coming soon
Wed Jan 7, 2009 6:05pm GMT

By Kim Dixon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama, whose campaign used text messaging and the Internet to raise millions of dollars, is expected to announce key technology appointments as early as this week.

Industry lobbyists, consumers groups and other advocates are waiting for Obama to pick someone to head the Federal Communications Commission and to fill a new job of chief technology officer for the federal government.

~snip~

Top candidates for FCC chairman include Julius Genachowski, a classmate of Obama's at Harvard Law School, and Blair Levin, most recently an investment advisor. Both were high-level staff at the FCC under Clinton, and both are now advising Obama.

Julius Genachowski - - Genachowski received his B.A. from Columbia College, Columbia University in 1985. He received his J.D. in 1991 from Harvard Law School, where he was a notes editor at the Harvard Law Review when it was headed by Barack Obama, who graduated in the same year. After graduation, Genachowski clerked for the Honorable Abner J. Mikva on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and then at the U.S. Supreme Court for two years, for Justices William J. Brennan and David Souter.

He was formerly a senior official at the Federal Communications Commission.

Genachowski currently co-leads the Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform Group for president-elect Barack Obama's presidential transition team.

Blair Levin - Blair Levin joined Stifel Nicolaus in 2005, having joined the predecessor firm of Legg Mason Capital Markets in January 2001. He serves as a Managing Director and the firm's principal telecom, media and tech regulatory and strategy analyst. As Barron's Magazine has noted, Levin "has always been on top of developing trends and policy shifts in media and telecommunicationsand has proved visionary in getting out in front of many of today's headline making events".

Prior to his work as an analyst, Mr. Levin served as Chief of Staff to Chairman Reed Hundt at the Federal Communications Commission from December 1993 through October 1997. Mr. Levin's time at the Commission included the most productive and important period in the Commission's history.

~snip~

Current FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, was the subject of a scathing House Energy and Commerce Committee report recently, attacking what it termed his abuse of power.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/usPoliticsNews/idUKTRE5065ME20090107?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0

Whoever winds up getting the job, they'll be MUCH better than Kevin Martin!!

From WSJ last month:

Report Findings



Among the findings of the report:

Mr. Martin manipulated the findings of an FCC inquiry into the potential consumer benefits of requiring cable companies to sell channels on an individual -- or "a la carte" -- basis. The House investigation concludes that Mr. Martin undermined the integrity of the FCC staff and may have improperly influenced the Congressional debate on the matter by ordering agency employees to rewrite a report to conclude that a la carte mandates would benefit consumers.

Mr. Martin tried to manipulate the findings of an annual FCC report on the state of competition in the market for cable and other video services to show that the industry had a big enough market share to permit additional government regulation. When the full commission voted to reject that conclusion, Mr. Martin suppressed the report by withholding its release.

Under Mr. Martin's leadership, the FCC's oversight of the Telecommunications Relay Service Fund, which pays for special telecommunications services for people with hearing or speech disabilities, was overly lax. This resulted in overcompensation of the companies that provide these services by as much as $100 million a year -- costs that were ultimately passed along to phone company customers.
http://sec.online.wsj.com/article/SB122886216680592749.html

I'll bet that Genachowski gets the FCC Chairman appointment..

[Undercurrent]

1. I hope you are right, and

Julius Genachowski gets picked.

A bit more aqbout him:

A big macher for 8 years at Barry Diller's company, IAC/InterActiveCorp -- which started as a traditional entertainment company and transformed into an e-commerce and new media powerhouse -- IAC 1.0 owned & operated leading entertainment businesses including USA Network, SciFi Channel, Studios USA, and USA Films. IAC 2.0 owned and operated leading e-commerce & new media companies including Expedia, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor, Ask Jeeves, LendingTree, Match.com, and Citysearch. At IAC, a lead player in over $20 billion of deals, and in the company’s organization and operation as a multi-business operating company. Specific roles were Chief of Business Operations and member of the Office of the Chairman; and, before that, General Counsel.

Listed in Business Week as one of 25 “Managers to Watch” in the media business.

Recently co-founded Rock Creek Ventures, an investment and advisory services firm focused on new media and e-commerce, based in Washington DC.

On Boards of Directors of The Motley Fool; Website Pros; Beliefnet; JackBe. Board of Advisors of Truveo and Rapt. Part of the organizing group launching New Resource Bank, a San Francisco for-profit bank focusing on clean tech, renewable energy, energy-efficient real-estate developments and other businesses in the ‘sustainability’ space. Non-profit: Board of Directors of Common Sense Media; and Board of Advisors of Environmental Entrepreneuers.

Lawyer by training ... Harvard Law School, and a clerk on the U.S. Supreme Court (for Justice David Souter).

Prior life as government official ... Chief Counsel to the Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. And staff member of the U.S. Congress Committee investing the Iran-Contra Affair.

Entrepreneurial roots ... Re-established Columbia College’s oldest newspaper, Acta Columbiana; and was Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Guide to New York.

Wonderful documentary filmmaking wife, Rachel Goslins. Two incredibly fantastic kids, Jake & Lilah.



http://kinnernet.editme.com/JuliusGenachowski

[snowbear]

2. According to another source....

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..... Jessica Rosenworcel is also being considered:

FCC to come under closer scrutiny, aide says
By David Hatch CongressDaily January 5, 2009

The FCC under President-elect Barack Obama will face stepped up congressional oversight and increased pressure to create a more open and transparent regulatory environment, a top aide to incoming Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said Monday.
Jessica Rosenworcel, senior communications counsel on the Senate panel and a potential candidate for FCC chairman, said the agency needs to be more responsive to Congress, conduct fact-finding in a more "neutral" manner, and make itself more accountable to the public.
"It might be time to dispense with ideological approaches and return to a restoration of facts," she said.

... I'm still guessing that Julius Genachowski gets it.

[Thrill]

3. I like how all of a sudden these wimpy Democrats are now apparently going

to be tough on Obama and his picks. While they sat back and let Bush and his cronies run wild

[FrenchieCat]

4. So much more meaningful and important of a position than SG aka

Health Advocation Communications Director.

FCC is dealing with our fucked up media; the one that led us into Iraq, justified stolen elections, attempts to influence our elections, talk nonsense instead of real issues, and promote GOP ideas.

Priorities, priorities.

This is good.

[Cha]

5. Rec'd~ Yes, that's why I clicked on

here..the corporatemedia is why we're in the shape we are today.

No outrage at these possibilities so it sinks like a rock?

[FrenchieCat]

6. Tell you something without even asking, doesn't it?

[OneGrassRoot]

7. Excellent point. :) K&R n/t

[Armstead]

8. He ought to promote Kopps or Adelstein

Two of the current Democratic commissioners, Michael Kopps and Jonathan Adelstein have been great at fighting for more open media and opposing consolidation and other forms of robbery.

I wish Obama would promote one of them to FCC Chair.

[Cha]

9. Here's a link to act on your wish..

http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions20081229/

[onenote]

11. Copps will be named acting chairman

And while sitting commissioners have ascended to the Chairmanship in the past, it would be unusual for a newly elected president to elevate to the chairmanship a commissioner appointed by a previous president.

Adelstein's situation is unclear. He worked for Daschle in the Senate and there are rumors that he may leave the FCC to work for Daschle at HHS (his term has expired, but he can continue to serve until he is renominated and confirmed, someone else is nominated in confirmed, or the end of the first session of the 111th congress).

While she is the dark horse candidate, I wouldn't discount Jessica Rosenworcel from getting the spot -- If either Genakowski or Levin were to get it (and if Adelstein doesn't leave), all three Democrats on the FCC would be white males, and I don't see that happening. The solution may be to appoint Rosenworcel (or another woman) to replace Adelstein after giving the chairmanship to Genakowski (the leading candidate) or Levin (whom I don't believe will get the job).

[Armstead]

13. No matter who appointed him, Kopps is the Best

He has been a clear champion of the public interest and fought hard. No bullshit and watering down of the clear need fopr accountability and diversity in the media.

He would be much better as chair than some corporate person that has been profiting from deregulation all these years.

[onenote]

15. Copps (with a "c") is good on some things; he's bad on content regulation

He'd push to have the FCC impose more (and heavier) fines on what he thinks is indecent language and things like the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction.

[glitch]

12. Agreed. nt

[wyldwolf]

10. Janet Jackson! Excellent!

[BootinUp]

16. hubba hubba

lol.

[OneBlueSky]

14. what? . . . no room for Howard Stern on that list? . . . hrumph! . . . n/t