Tough Job Ahead for New FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler

The Federal Communications Commission, which has been run by just three commissioners for several months, will soon be back up to full force after the Senate confirmed Tom Wheeler as the new FCC chairman and long-term Congressional staffer Michael O’Rielly as FCC commissioner.

Wheeler noted that the telecommunications industry is in the middle of important changes. Wheeler is generally viewed favorably by telecom industry stakeholders, who perceive that he is already up to speed on key telecom industry issues. O’Rielly comes to the FCC from his position as an adviser to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the Republican minority whip. “Both nominees are highly qualified for their positions,” said Walter B. McCormick Jr., president and CEO of USTelecom, adding that “we look forward to working with them on the critical issues that face the nation’s communications industry and consumers.” McCormick didn’t specify the “critical issues,” but I think most telecom industry stakeholders would agree that they include such thorny items as the TDM-to-IP transition, Universal Service reform, retransmission rights, and spectrum policy.