WASHINGTON—Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr announced the appointment of Andy Hendrickson as chief of the agency’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET).
In the new role, Hendrickson, who has held senior tech jobs at the FCC and Verizon Communications, will serve as the agency’s principal technical adviser helping to shape spectrum policy, guide equipment authorization, and ensre regulatory standards reflect the rapidly evolving communications landscape.
Ira Keltz, who has served as the FCC’s acting chief of OET since last October, will resume his prior role as deputy chief of OET.
“I am delighted that Andy has agreed to transition into this new role as the Chief of OET.,” Carr said. “As the FCC’s Build America Agenda ramps up, our work will benefit greatly from Andy’s understanding of both the technical foundations and real-world impact of our decisions. I look forward to drawing on his expertise to leverage transformative technologies like 5G, next-gen satellite, and AI to better serve the public interest. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Ira Keltz for serving in this role in an Acting capacity over the last several months and am pleased that he will continue his public service as a Deputy Chief in OET.”
Hendrickson brings more than 20 years of technical leadership across telecommunications and large-scale digital infrastructure. Most recently, he served as CTO in the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, where he guided field operations, consulted on emerging tech, policy, enforcement, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, 911, and network-outage mitigation.
Prior to joining the FCC, Hendrickson was senior director of technology at Verizon Communications, participating in the rollout of Verizon’s 5G network and overseeing engineering and operations for the Verizon Cloud Platform. He also led global technology initiatives at Esri Inc. and taught environmental geomatics at Rutgers University. He holds dual degrees from Rutgers University’s Schools of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Communication and Information.
Within the broader tech community, Hendrickson is active with the Linux Foundation, Open Infrastructure Foundation, and the Network Time Foundation. He is also on the Board of the Rutgers School of Communication & Information Alumni Association, the FCC said.
