Balaguer To FCC Legislative Affairs Dep. Dir.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai today announced that the agency has chosen Jim Balaguer to be deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs. The Office of Legislative Affairs is the FCC’s primary liaison to Congress. It provides lawmakers with information regarding FCC regulatory decisions, answers to policy questions, assistance with constituent concerns and responses to Congressional inquiries.

“Jim has a well-deserved reputation for excellence on legislative issues, both within the agency and on Capitol Hill, and I thank him for agreeing to take on this new role,” said Pai.  “We’ve come to rely on Jim’s political acumen, experience, and dedication.”

Since 2010, Balaguer has served as an associate director and senior legislative analyst in the Office of Legislative Affairs, where he was the primary liaison to Congress on wireline issues, including universal service, broadband adoption, and the Internet Protocol transition. 

Prior to his most recent position, Balaguer served in several roles in the Office of Legislative Affairs as lead liaison on consumer protection issues, including telemarketing policy, caller ID spoofing, and disability access policy, as well as tribal telecom and international communications issues.

He began his FCC career in the former Enforcement Division of the bureau that is now known as the Wireline Competition Bureau.

Balaguer received an M.A. from George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and a B.A. from Loyola University in Maryland.