Sizing Up Wheeler By The Folks He's Hired

[Commentary] Three of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Wheeler's new staff are blue-ribbon, card-carrying members of the FCC club.

Chief-of-Staff Ruth Milkman has worked in the Common Carrier, International, and now Wireless bureaus, and also served on two chairmen's staff. "Counselor" Phil Verveer has headed more FCC bureaus than anyone -- this was during the Ferris chairmanship, during the Carter Administration -- and he's also worked at the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and, most recently, Department of State. "Special Counsel" Diane Cornell has worked for several commissioners (on common carrier and wireless issues), and also worked in the International and Wireless bureaus. All these people know what they're doing -- and, how the FCC and government work. Or, don't. In addition to these three super-class appointees, Chairman Wheeler has named two individuals who are certainly well-informed and quite talented -- but also fall in the category of significantly partisan folks -- "true believers," as it were. Gigi Sohn is a career public interest lawyer, and she shares one characteristic of Chairman Wheeler. That is, the older she gets the more liberal and interventionist she seems to become. Sohn is said to be both very Democratic, and to be the proverbial "bring back the rack"-style regulator as well.

[Robinson is a Washington communications lawyer and former FCC staffer]