Restoring effective leadership at the FCC

[Commentary] Outgoing Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has often been criticized for his lack of effective leadership. Politicization, the decline of analytical work, and lack of transparency have plagued the agency. Perhaps the most challenging job for the new chairman will be rebuilding the agency’s credibility, pushing back the political opportunists, and mending the commission’s internal divisions. Fortunately, previous chairmen have provided some lessons on how to do this:

• Stop the wolves at the door
• Engage the larger mission
• Build a strong staff
• Manage political capital

[Mark Jamison is the director and Gunter Professor of the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida]