Tom Wheeler

Former cable and wireless phone lobbyist Tom Wheeler will take the helm of the FCC as chairman on Nov. 4 following his requisite swearing in. No word yet on his staff, but Diane Cornell, Ruth Milkman and Phil Verveer could play roles. Former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt concedes that Wheeler was not his first choice. Out of loyalty, he says, he actively backed former aide Karen Kornbluh.

Following his swearing in, the former cable and wireless telephone lobbyist will assume the top job at the agency, succeeding fellow Democrat Mignon Clyburn, who has been running things as acting chairwoman since Julius Genachowski stepped down earlier this year. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz cleared the way for the confirmation vote Tuesday evening by lifting his hold on a vote.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) lost his battle against the new health-care law but he already has a new target in sight: the FCC.The tea party member has blocked the confirmation of Tom Wheeler as chairman of the FCC, saying he wanted greater assurance from President Obama’s nominee that the agency wouldn’t require more funding disclosures for political TV ads. Cruz has said that such free speech should be protected.

The Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of Tom Wheeler as the next chairman of the FCC, although questions remain as to how quickly his selection will gain a floor vote. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Commerce Committee, urged members to approve the nomination, but said it would be left up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to work out when it would get a vote of the Senate.

President Barack Obama nominated Tom Wheeler as FCC chairman months ago, but the White House still hasn’t named a GOP candidate for the FCC’s other open slot. With Republicans still insisting both nominees move together, the Senate very likely doesn’t have enough time to confirm two commissioners before its August break.

Led by Morality in Media, 70 organizations sent a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to oppose the nomination of Tom Wheeler to be FCC chairman if he will not agree to enforce the commission’s rules against indecency.

Tom Wheeler, former head of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, is expected to be the next chairman of the FCC. Wheeler faced a confirmation hearing Tuesday and Timothy Karr of Free Press says there are a few questions he should answer before being confirmed, including:

• Will you protect Internet Freedom?
• Will you provide more choices for Internet users?

At his Senate confirmation hearing to be FCC chairman, Tom Wheeler respectfully declined to answer a question on the FCC’s ability to change retransmission consent rules, although he said he did shared concerns about retrans black-outs. Wheeler also said he was committed to conducting the incentive auction of TV spectrum as quickly as possible, but wasn’t “informed enough” to comment on the sharing agreements that allow Gannett and others to circumvent the FCC’s local ownership rules.

Disclosure of funding of political advertising has become a hot topic in Congress. And Republican Senator Ted Cruz made sure that FCC Chairman nominee Tom Wheeler knew that his fellow GOP members want the FCC to keep its hands off any attempts at imposing disclosure requirements on such ads.”This is the one issue that has in my opinion the potential to derail your nomination,” he said.

Congressional reaction to Tom Wheeler’s nomination to be the next FCC chairman was sparse. But hotly anticipated was a statement from Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who campaigned heavily for his former staffer and FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. Rockefeller’s statement finally came Friday afternoon, two days after President Obama submitted the nomination. The statement from the chairman of the Commerce Committee, which has oversight of the FCC, was gracious, but brief.

First, there will be little or no change in the incentive auction policy. Look for Wheeler to push the auction with all the zeal of the outgoing Genachowski. What’s near impossible to divine is where Wheeler will go on two issues that should be of more immediate concern to broadcasters: ownership and retransmission consent.

The just-nominated FCC chairman has a cable and wireless track record that may make broadcasters nervous. A look at his Mobile Musings blog shows why — as well as offering tips about the sorts of potential business opportunities that he might be amenable to helping broadcasters pursue.

The former head of NCTA and CTIA is nominated to succeed Julius Genachowski as FCC chairman. In a historic first, the president taps FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn to be acting chair until Wheeler is confirmed by the Senate, making her the commission’s first African-American chair.

President Barack Obama is expected to soon nominate Tom Wheeler, a former top lobbyist for the cable and wireless industries, to lead the FCC, two people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal today. Obama is expected to make the announcement as soon as Wednesday, an industry official and a person familiar with Wheeler’s situation said. WSJ subscribers may read the full story here.

The unusual, high-level campaigning to sway President Obama’s choice for a new FCC chairman just intensified with the release of a letter from an odd-bedfellow collection of advocates in support of Core Capital Partners Managing Director Tom Wheeler.

The talk around D.C. is that Tom Wheeler, the former head of NCTA and CTIA, is the frontrunner to replace Julius Genachowski as FCC Chairman.  OK, sure, Wheeler headed trade groups representing two of broadcasting’s long-time nemeses, cable and wireless. But that could work in broadcasters’ favor since he’ll have to be careful not to show any favoritism toward his former employers. And having spent his entire career representing businesses, running businesses and investing in businesses, Wheeler undoubtedly will have a light regulatory touch in all matters. And that’s not something you can say about most Democrats.

On June 30th, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s five-year term will expire, which has led to speculation that Genachowski might soon announce his departure. Although the FCC chair is not a cabinet-level position, D.C. chatter is already flying fast and furious about Genachowski’s replacement, with three people said to be on the short list: Tom Wheeler, Karen Kornbluh and Larry Strickling.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a speech at startup incubator 1776 that the FCC planned to promote more choices for high-speed broadband and protect competition, because a lack of adequate consumer choice inhibits innovation, investment and economic benefits. Wheeler’s comments could hold implications for Comcast’s efforts to buy Time Warner Cable, which could adversely affect future competition.