The Chairman of the FCC, Julius Genachowski, has been announced as a speaker at the NAB Convention in Las Vegas next month, but the bigger media appearance in his case is his mention as a candidate to be the next Secretary of Commerce.
Genachowski’s potential employment shift is part of a chain reaction tied to the resignation of Jon Huntsman Jr. as US Ambassador to China (which may lead to a possible run for the GOP presidential nod in 2012, but that’s another story).
Currrent Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is seen as a leading candidate to replace Huntsman, which would open up his cabinet position. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk is said to be another possibility.
However, an article in The Hill notes that Genachowski could be a good fit for this particular position since he was able to find a middle ground on the network neutrality issue which has dominated his tenure at the FCC, finding support from members of the telecommunications industry even while making him a target from both the right and the left.
Another consideration in favor on going with Genachowski is the fact that two commissioners, Michael Copps and Meredith Baker, are do to either be replaced or reconfirmed soon. Speculation is that it may be convenient to package a new chair nomination in with the other two and get a package of commissioners through the Senate together.
