Mr. Genachowski
The Associated Press and Reuters report that President Elect Barack Obama is nominating a "key technology advisor" to Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The source was a person who worked directly with the transition team on technology issues.
Julius Genachowski served as law clerk at the Supreme Court from 1992 to 1994, followed by an executive position at InterActive Corp. — the parent company of Ask.com — from 1997 to 2005. He held a handful of positions at the FCC during the Clinton Administration.
Obama's administration would not comment on the rumor, but Genachowski is already a member of his advisement team and was considered a front-runner for FCC Chairman prior to this news. He and Obama were also friends at Harvard Law, where both graduated in the class of '91.
The FCC's primary task is to oversee US telecommunications regulation and policy. Its jurisdiction includes TV and cable companies, auctioning public airwaves, and ensuring sufficient competition in radio and television outlets.
Its largest impending challenge will be to mitigate a nationwide conversion to digital television on February 17th. The switch will affect 20 million customers whose TVs still operate via analog over-the-air signals.
Reports say senior citizens, the underprivileged and inhabitants of rural areas remain the least-prepared. Despite the FCC's impassioned attempts to educate the public about the switch via advertising early on, the Obama Administration concluded government funds supporting the change remain "woefully inadequate."
As a result, Obama recommended that the transition be delayed.
In a YouTube address, the President Elect divulged his ambition that "every child" be given the chance to go online during his time in office. These aspirations appear to fall in line with a condition the FCC put on the sale of certain public airwaves last year: that whomever wins the airwaves must provide free internet access nationwide.
Plans to conduct the auction were delayed until the Obama Administration takes office.
