Wireless lobby group names former FCC member Baker as president

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Wireless industry lobbying group CTIA named Meredith Attwell Baker as its new president, another remarkable appointment for the former member of the Federal Communications Commission who has quickly climbed the ranks of a private sector she once regulated.

Baker will begin her new job June 2, after nearly three years as a high-level lobbyist for Comcast, where she promoted issues favorable for the cable giant. Public interest groups had criticized her move from the FCC to Comcast soon after she voted in favor of the cable company's merger with NBC Universal.

Critics said that Baker's move to the cable firm highlighted a revolving door between the FCC and the companies they regulate and raised potential conflicts of interests. Former FCC chairman Michael Powell now heads the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

At the CTIA, Baker will head the vast lobbying organization for wireless firms ahead of a historic auction of public airwaves in 2015. The group's biggest members -- AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint -- represent the fastest-growing segments of the telecom industry.

Baker will replace Steve Largent, who reportedly had a salary of about $2.7 million in 2013.


Wireless lobby group names former FCC member Baker as president Meredith Attwell Baker Named Chief Executive Officer of CTIA-The Wireless Association (CTIA) Cellphone industry picks new lobby chief (The Hill)