No clear signal on FCC chair's post

President Barack Obama’s reelection means a Democrat will remain in the driver’s seat at the Federal Communications Commission next year. But just who that Democrat will be is an open question.

Current FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is coy about his plans, but most observers say he is ready to leave the agency in the coming months. If the chairman departs, as expected, whomever Obama taps to succeed Genachowski will have to decide how to try to handle the agenda he leaves behind. The two other Democrats already on the commission — Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel — are seen as contenders to succeed Genachowski. Both have powerful political backers on Capitol Hill. Other names bandied about include National Telecommunications and Information Administration Administrator Larry Strickling; former Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association head Tom Wheeler; Scott Harris, executive vice president of Neustar; and Blair Levin, a former FCC chief of the international bureau who also oversaw preparation of the National Broadband Plan.

Public Knowledge CEO Gigi Sohn, for one, hopes the next chairman is a woman. “In the election year of the woman, the FCC needs a female chair,” Sohn said.