Julius Genachowski has an Amazon Kindle in his office. The new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman keeps it next to the dictionary he inherited from his predecessors — one so dated it doesn't include the words "Internet" or "broadband." "We needed an upgrade," said Chairman Genachowski, 47, who has been hailed as the agency's most tech-savvy chairman in decades. But his interest in the high-tech arena goes well beyond gadgets and has some industry giants eying his moves nervously, wondering what's next on his upgrading list. Already, he's asked for detailed information from major cell phone companies, including AT&T and Verizon Wireless, to see if there's adequate competition in the industry. It's the first of other such reviews, with cable and Internet service providers next up. He's spent the past month on a "listening tour" of the agency, meeting with every staffer and seeing where the agency needs upgrades. Genachowski's appreciation for technology signals a new direction for an agency that for so long has focused on copper phone lines and keeping the airwaves free of profanity.
