FCC chairman has broad approach to Net access

Expanding high-speed Internet access throughout the United States is a top priority for Julius Genachowski as he starts his term as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Chairman Genachowski and the agency are charged by President Obama and Congress with helping to ensure that all Americans can participate in the ongoing technological revolution that is integrating broadband with television and other devices beyond the computer. The 46-year-old lawyer has extensive experience in Washington and the technology industry. And it helps that he's a friend and former classmate of Obama's. Genachowski was a clerk for two Supreme Court justices and worked on Capitol Hill as well as at the FCC. He also spent a decade in the technology arena, including eight years as an executive at Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, the Internet and media giant. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama talked often about expanding broadband Internet access, and, as president, he signed into law the $787-billion stimulus bill this year that includes $7.2 billion to do that. The Commerce and Agriculture departments will distribute the grants. But the stimulus law puts the FCC in charge of developing a national strategy by February for improving broadband access nationwide. It's a daunting task for the historically slow-moving FCC, which was criticized during the tenure of former Chairman Kevin J. Martin for infighting, questionable research and general bureaucratic dysfunction.