Genachowski's top aide leaving FCC

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski’s top aide and confidant, chief of staff Edward Lazarus, is leaving the commission on Jan. 31.

“There just comes a time,” Lazarus said. “I had always thought of this as something I would do between two and three years.” The Washington native said he has “not engaged in a job search” and has “no idea" where he is going. Before figuring out what’s next, Lazarus said he wants a chance to catch his breath and find something that won’t be too disruptive to his family. Lazarus, 52, said he never anticipated working at the FCC. But the chance to work for his “friend Julius” and to do “something transformative” in a cutting-edge field lured him to take the job. He and Genachowski have been friends 15 years after meeting through a mutual friend, Lazarus said. Lazarus joined the agency the same day as Genachowski in June 2009.