I mentioned last week the lead transition team for the FCC. Today I ran into articles from Broadcasting & Cable and FierceTelecom that outline some hopefuls for the Chair position. Current Chair Kevin Martin is expected to leave in January will be replaced by an Obama appointee. (This may not be the definitive list but it includes the names that I’ve seen show up.)
Here’s the short list of contenders:
Julius Genachowski – he chaired the group that advised Senator Obama on the tech & innovation plan. He’s also a likely choice for CTO, which seems like a better gig. He was a senior official at the FCC. He has worked with or been on the boards of Internet companies such as The Motley Fool.
Larry Strickling – he also worked on the team that advised Senator Obama on the tech & innovation plan. He worked for Ameritech and the Aspen Institute. He also worked for the FCC as a bureau chief.
Don Gips – is Group Vice President Corporate Strategy. He served in the White House as Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President. He was at the FCC as the International Bureau Chief and Director of Strategic Policy.
Blair Levin – he is the Managing Director at Stifel Nicolaus and the firm’s principal telecom, media and tech regulatory and strategy analyst. He served as Chief of Staff to Chairman Reed Hundt at the FCC.
Julia Johnson – she is the President of NetCommunications, LLC, a strategic consulting firm. She is a member of the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees and the Department of Energy/National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Energy Market Access Board. She was Chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission.
Mignon Clyburn – she is a commissioner for the Public Service Commission of South Carolina since 1998. She was a newspaper editor and general manager and publisher for the local Coastal Times.
Scott Blake Harris – he was the first chief of the FCC’s International Bureau. He is Managing Partner of the law firm of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP where he advises clients on communications, Internet, trade, intellectual property, export control and other legal issues. He represents clients before the FCC, the courts, the Executive Branch, and foreign regulatory agencies.
