FCC’s Genachowski to be Aspen Institute Senior Fellow

When Julius Genachowski finishes his four years as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission later this month, he will follow a 16-year tradition followed by his four immediate predecessors: moving to the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program as a Senior Fellow.

We are delighted, of course, to welcome him to the Aspen family. Genachowski’s chairmanship focused on expanding broadband access, increasing spectrum for wireless mobile and other uses, and rationalizing regulations. It was an important time in communications regulation, and his experience will help us immensely in finding the right issues at the cutting edge to address in our various roundtables. Why do we offer this fellowship? Other than helping the program think through the issues, we believe it offers these senior leaders in our field an opportunity to think through their tenure on the Commission and, reflecting on their accomplishments, formulate agendas and issues for the future. Freed of the possibility of moving markets by the mere intonation of their comments, these leaders can frame the issues going forward in new and important ways.