The Federal Communications Commission -- which under the leadership of Michael Powell and Kevin Martin the past eight years has concentrated media ownership further in the hands of a few and declined to investigate NSA wiretapping -- will be under new leadership in a week. Tonight we learn who President-Elect Obama's pick as the next head of the FCC is. As has been rumored for weeks, it's Julius Genachowski.
Who is Julius Genachowski and what does he bring to the FCC? More on this pick beneath the fold.
As Reuters reported in the link above, Genachowski is a Harvard Law classmate of the incoming president. He has experience at the FCC, having served as chief counsel to former Democratic Chairman Reed Hundt during the Clinton Administration.
Obama's campaign policy statements on technology and communications may reasonably be seen as the positions of Genachowski, as he served as a campaign adviser on these issues. If, indeed, that is accurate, we have reason to rejoice. Here are selected positions from the campaign's technology agenda page:
* Protect the Openness of the Internet: A key reason the Internet has been such a success is because it is the most open network in history. It needs to stay that way. Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.
* Encourage Diversity in Media Ownership: Barack Obama believes that the nation’s rules ensuring diversity of media ownership are critical to the public interest. Unfortunately, over the past several years, the Federal Communications Commission has promoted the concept of consolidation over diversity. As president, Obama will encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation’s spectrum.
* Safeguard our Right to Privacy: The open information platforms of the 21st century can also tempt institutions to violate the privacy of citizens. As president, Barack Obama will strengthen privacy protections for the digital age and will harness the power of technology to hold government and business accountable for violations of personal privacy.
Deploy a Modern Communications Infrastructure
* Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Barack Obama believes that America should lead the world in broadband penetration and Internet access. As a country, we have ensured that every American has access to telephone service and electricity, regardless of economic status, and Obama will do likewise for broadband Internet access. Obama and Biden believe we can get true broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation’s wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.
Should Julius Genachowski uphold these promises, the FCC will soon be in the business of serving the public rather than simply being a tool of the administration and its corporate allies.
Some details about Genachowski's background come from Matthew Lasar, who notes that Genachowski clerked for Supreme Court justices David Souter and William Brennan before joining the FCC in 1994, and he has spent about a decade working with Barry Diller on a series of ventures before joining the Obama campaign.
From the Washington Post:
"Julius is a true believer in the power of technology to change lives and I think that bodes well for the Obama administration that someone like him is part of the transition team," said Rick Whitt, Google's Washignton telecom and media counsel.
Whitt and others say Julius is viewed with a unique mix of experience both as an executive of business operations at IAC and as a Washington policy expertise. He's not viewed as a traditional lobbyist, which fits with Obama's promises of injecting fresh perspectives into his government.
He is a co-founder and managing director of Rock Creek Ventures, and a special advisor at General Atlantic. He is also a board member at The Motley Fool, Website Pros, Beliefnet, and Marc Ecko Enterprises, and is part of the founding group that launched New Resource Bank, according to the Web site for LaunchBox, an investment firm he helped found.
Time will tell what Genachowski's leadership will mean for the FCC (and the eventual selection of the other Democratic commissioners may affect what happens there); from the outset, Obama's choice here is (like his picks at Treasury, Justice, and the EPA) experienced in the Commission's operations before the Bush Administration got its grimy hands on the regulatory agency. We will see how Genachowski's experience guides his leadership of the nation's regulator of communications.