Profiles of the people who make or influence communications policy.
Policymakers
Chairman Walden Announces Mike Bloomquist as House Commerce Committee Staff Director
House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) announced Mike Bloomquist, currently the committee’s Deputy Staff Director, will be named Staff Director effective immediately. The committee’s previous Staff Director Ray Baum passed away Feb 9 after a years-long battle with cancer.
Witnesses:
- Mr. Joseph Simons, of Virginia, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner, Chairman Designate
- Mr. Rohit Chopra, of New York, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner
- Mr. Noah Joshua Phillips, of Maryland, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner
- Ms. Christine S. Wilson, of Virginia, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner
OSTP Staffing Update
Roughly half of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) consists of Trump administration hires. More than 20 new people have joined the office since the start of President Donald Trump’s term.
FCC Seeks Nominations for Tribal Gvt Reps to Serve on Renewed FCC Native Nations Communications Task Force
Since its establishment in March 2011, the Federal Communications Commission Native Nations Communications Task Force has been composed of senior FCC staff and elected or appointed leaders from federally recognized Tribal governments or governmental entities, or their designated employees, and has helped the Commission fulfill its commitment to increasing broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands. In view of the Task Force’s increasing involvement in a range of Commission matters and undertakings going beyond broadband deployment and adoption, the Commission, through its Office of
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Appoints Public Safety, Business Leaders to the First Responder Network Authority Board
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the appointment of four members to serve on the Board of the FirstNet Responder Network Authority. The appointees are leading experts in the fields of public safety, wireless broadband technology, and network engineering. The Board will oversee the activities of FirstNet to ensure that AT&T develops, builds, and operates a nationwide broadband network that will best equip first responders to save lives and protect US communities. Secretary Ross appointed the following three individuals to the FirstNet Board for three-year terms:
What inclusivity really means, from the woman who held the highest tech job in America
A Q&A with former US Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith.
Kenneth Johnson Tapped to Administrator of USAD's Rural Utility Service
President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Kenneth Johnson to be the Rural Utility Service Administrator, Department of Agriculture. Johnson serves as the general manager and CEO of Co-Mo Electric Cooperative and President for Co-Mo Connect in Tipton, MO. Co-Mo is the first to deploy a fiber-to-the-home network to all of their members without federal or state funding, providing gigabit internet, video and voice services to nearly 16,000 subscribers.
Remarks of FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly Before the Hudson Institute, "A Conservative Perspective"
I would like to discuss how my approach to select communications policies is informed by certain conservative principles, with a fair hint of libertarianism. In my first visit to Hudson, I declared preserving and advancing economic freedom to be my primary goal
and the paramount lens by which I would examine issues at the Commission. Fast forward four years and economic freedom has generated some subcomponents worthy of discussion, thereby allowing a more fulsome examination of certain policy matters. So, with your indulgence, I’d like to explore some of these this afternoon:
Dr. Eric Burger, appointed by Chairman Pai as the FCC’s newest chief technology officer, serves as an advisor to the Chairman and as the senior technology expert in the agency. We’ll have a “fireside chat” with Eric to hear about his work, include finding a technical solution to robocalls, rural broadband deployment, and supporting the security, stability, and reliability of the IP network.
National Security Council official behind 5G memo leaves White House
Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding, the author of a memo arguing for a government takeover of development of the nation’s 5G mobile network, is no longer serving as National Security Council Senior Director for Strategic Planning. He was not fired; his detail ended and he was not renewed. His last day as a White House staffer was Jan. 31. Brig. Gen.