Chairman Wheeler: Rosenworcel Is Long-Term Communications Policy Leader

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel's fingerprints are on "so much of what this agency has done." Chairman Wheeler praised his fellow Democrat as she prepares to exit the commission following a fractious Senate's failure to vote her re-nomination by President Barack Obama. "You have been a long-term leader in communications policy on the FCC staff [a top advisor to former commissioner Mike Copps] on the Senate Staff [as a top advisor to former Senate Commerce chairman Jay Rockefeller] and here as a commissioner," said Chairman Wheeler. "I don't think that there is an end point on that leadership and expect to see a lot more out of you in the coming years continuing that great tradition."

Chairman Wheeler pointed to her early championing of Title II reclassification of Internet service providers. "I remember you saying to me, 'no, the way to go is Title II,'" he said. The "no" reference is because Wheeler's initial attempt to address a court remand of the original Open Internet order did not include reclassification. "You have always been attuned to the public safety community," he said, "and have been the champion of making sure that we live up to the first title of the Communications Act, which is public safety."