The next stop for Tom Wheeler is the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation where Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and colleagues will get a chance to grill him before giving thumbs up or down to his nomination. But first, here are a few remarks from the one who nominated him.
President Barack Obama said of Wheeler that he “has been at the forefront of some of the very dramatic changes that we’ve seen in the way we communicate and how we live our lives.”
Obama continued, “He was one of the leaders of a company that helped create thousands of good, high-tech jobs. He’s in charge of the group that advises the FCC on the latest technology issues. He’s helped give American consumers more choices and better products.”
Wheeler’s new mission, stated Obama, is “giving businesses and workers the tools they need to compete in the 21st century economy, and making sure we’re staying at the cutting edge of an industry that again and again we’ve revolutionized here in America.”
RBR-TVBR observation: There is a dubious underside to one Wheeler comment. According to Hillicon Valley, Obama mentioned that Wheeler is the Bo Jackson of telecom. From a major league baseball standpoint, we’re not so sure we would be 100% behind that comparison if we were Wheeler.
Sure, Jackson had power, he had speed, and he had an arm.
But he also struck out like crazy
An FCC chair can only afford to swing and miss so many times. We’re sure that Wheeler will try do his best to at least put the ball in play when he gets behind an initiative.
