Back to TVNewsCheck Home Print this page

WSJ: Obama To Name Wheeler FCC Chief

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.

By TVNewsCheck | April 30, 2013 | 2:48 p.m. ET.
Tags: ,

Comments (15)

Leave a Reply

Andrea Rader says:

April 30, 2013 at 3:20 pm

Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Even Jay Rockefeller has reservations.
http://business.time.com/2013/04/16/tom-wheeler-former-lobbyist-and-obama-loyalist-seen-as-fcc-frontrunner/

Jason Crundwell says:

April 30, 2013 at 3:33 pm

This kinda crap is going to continue until his majesty is out of office. Hope there’s something left.

cortney baker says:

April 30, 2013 at 3:34 pm

That can’t be good.

Ellen Samrock says:

April 30, 2013 at 3:37 pm

Public Knowledge came out in support of Wheeler. That alone, is enough not to trust this guy. But his ties to the CTIA, the cable industry and Obama seal it as far as I’m concerned.

Christina Perez says:

April 30, 2013 at 3:41 pm

Seems I recall that Reuters got Secret Service pick wrong when it quoted “inside sources.” This sounds like a lobbying ploy, the kind of thing that Wheeler would engineer… why he should NOT be FCC chairman. Wheeler would be a disaster for broadcasters, the public interest, and the future of free, over the air broadcast TV. And yes, I’ve seen him up close…

David Siegler says:

April 30, 2013 at 3:41 pm

Evidently the president has decided that the FCC is correct in its plan to eliminate any and all free communications services for the American people.

    Ellen Samrock says:

    April 30, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    Here’s how it will play out. As Obama and his buddies, including Tom Wheeler, systematically destroy FOTA TV, they will introduce a bill that would subsidize internet and wireless communication plans for families below a certain income index. It will affectionately be known as “Obamacell.”

    Mabel Eng says:

    April 30, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    The fact is that over-the-air TV was killed off by Bush II along with the facilitation of the broadcasters. The broadcasters only serve less than 10% of the public with free TV. Which is all the more reason why they should participate in the incentive auctions. That way they can get paid for giving up spectrum that they now longer use and which they never paid for.

    charles spencer says:

    April 30, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Who cares if the broadcasters never paid for the spectrum? They give their product away FOR FREE! Selling the spectrum to a cabal of 3 or 4 bidders who have each others’ backs to a degree, who will then turn around and SELL their services (you know, the services that fail during emergencies) back to the public. Gee, what a swell idea. And, by the way, in my area several of the cable headends pick up our signal over the air.

    Ellen Samrock says:

    April 30, 2013 at 5:22 pm

    And Obama can’t wait to finish off broadcast TV, seal the coffin and shovel in the dirt. We get the picture. The percentage of US households that rely on OTA television is 18% and growing as more consumers cut the cord and broadcasters roll out more channels and new services. By contrast, less than 15% of the population listens to AM radio and that percentage is getting even smaller as these listeners die off (for the 25-34 dem. it’s less than 9%). And yet the FCC, or at least Commissioner Pai, is frantic to preserve AM. Why? If any broadcast service has no future, AM radio is it. Broadcast television, on the other hand, has an incredible future ahead of it if the FCC would, for a change, work with broadcasters instead of against them or, at least, get out of the way and let them continue to innovate.

Mike Clark says:

April 30, 2013 at 4:26 pm

Since when does experience, clout, and expertise in communication policy disqualify a nominee for FCC Chairman? And Wheeler’s service on the Kennedy Center, National Archives Foundation and PBS Boards make the idea that he’s against free media sound really knee-jerk. If some broadcasters feel threatened because a strong and connected player might chair the FCC, they can only blame themselves. As they pass on the once-in-a-generation opportunity to “own” mobile TV, which most broadcasters apparently are doing, it will haunt them in future spectrum wars no matter who is sitting in the FCC Chairman’s office.

    Ellen Samrock says:

    April 30, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    Then let’s erect a statue to the guy and find someone who, for once, understands broadcast media. Wouldn’t that be a novel idea? Finding a chairman who has at least a working understanding of and is sympathetic to all the businesses his agency regulates, instead of being biased toward one or two? As for broadcasters ‘owning mobile DTV’, they won’t own anything if CE manufacturers refuse to put ATSC M/H receiver chips into handheld devices and/or wireless companies refuse to sell them and the FCC lops off 120MHz of UHF spectrum. An add-on dongle is not enough for broadcast television to “own” mobile DTV.

    Andrea Rader says:

    April 30, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    SouthernChill, there’s a world of difference between taxpayer-subsidized media and free, advertiser-supported media. And I would argue that there are more than enough “strong and connected players” in policy-making positions already at the Federal level.

Ken Thomas & Tom Krisher says:

April 30, 2013 at 4:32 pm

Anybody is an improvement over the fool that just left.

ABELARDO BLANCO says:

April 30, 2013 at 4:47 pm

that figures…Genachowski Junior.