Talk about moving FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski seems to be on the wane, and names of past and present leaders at big time corporations such as Google and Pfizer is on the upswing. And a Genachowski spokesperson says he’s happy right where he is.
Genachowski, who has been focusing on expanding broadband in the US, would still have a say in that endeavor as Secretary of Commerce, which includes NTIA among its operations.
According to staffer Josh Gottheimer, Genachowski, has no plans to go anywhere. “He is very happy at the FCC and is focused on harnessing the opportunities of the communications and technology space.”
One name that was in the mix already, that of US trade representative Ron Kirk, is still in the mix, according to a Bloomberg report. And other names mentioned include Google CEO Eric Schmidt former Pfizer exec Jeffrey Kindler.
Not that there aren’t plenty of other possibilities. As expressed in a statement from an administrative spokesperson, “The president will consider a range of qualified candidates, but we are at a very early stage in the process and no decisions have been made.”
RBR-TVBR observation: On the network neutrality issue, Genachowski managed to carve out a centrist position that managed to please almost nobody. One side found it to be an almost toothless cave-in to ISPs, and the other found it to be total regulatory overreach.
The situations at the top of Commerce and on the Commission itself are fluid. But assuming Genachowski stays on at the FCC for awhile, it will be interesting if he can center himself within the same circular firing squad when looking at media ownership regulation this year
