Julius Genachowski—former counsel to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, tech policy advisor to the Obama campaign and Harvard Law School classmate of the president-elect—will be the next chairman of the FCC.
At least, that’s what the Washington Post had to say on the matter Tuesday morning (Jan. 13), citing unnamed sources.
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Genachowski, a former executive with Barry Diller’s cable programming and new media giant IAC/InterActiveCorp., more recently founded a couple of Washington-based venture capital firms.
Some consumer groups have been excited about the prospective pick, citing his understanding of the technology world and commitment to net neutrality principles.
On the other hand, as Ars Technica noted in December, the high-profile and widely acclaimed campaign advisor has left a thin paper trail on his actual views.
"Now, to be fair, there are about 200,000 Web sites out there that say he's a grand fellow, but when it comes to details, his Facebook page just doesn't cut it," Ars Technica wrote.
The position of FCC chairman requires Senate confirmation, so Obama is expected to appoint one of the commission Democrats—either Jonathan Adelstein or Michael Copps—as interim chairman, taking the gavel from current Chairman Kevin Martin. If Martin quits the commission entirely, it would leave the Democrats with a 2-1 majority on the panel.
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