Which Way Will Tom Wheeler Take The FCC? Follow The Blog Trail

[Commentary] Interested parties of all types, from hedge fund managers to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, are pondering how Tom Wheeler will manage the Federal Communications Commission and what he’ll focus on.

A look back at his musings on a personal blog (aptly named Mobile Musings) and on his more formal writings as chairman of an advisory committee to the FCC may provide some insights. Out of the gate, Wheeler will be confronted with several pressing issues, ranging from the FCC’s merger-review authority to the broadcast-spectrum auctions to net neutrality to the IP transition. When it comes to drawing the limits of the FCC’s authority, I have argued that where the conduct under scrutiny fits squarely within the four corners of antitrust (such as mergers), the FCC should take a backseat to the antitrust agencies; for conduct that is not easily recognized as an antitrust violation (such as discrimination by a vertically integrated network owner), the FCC should take the lead. Does Wheeler agree?