Wheeler FCC Ready To Roll On

Former cable and wireless phone lobbyist Tom Wheeler will take the helm of the Federal Communications Commission as chairman on Nov. 4 following his requisite swearing in. An FCC source said Wheeler and Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn spoke to discuss how best to orchestrate the changing of the guard. “They both talked about the importance of a smooth transition,” the source said.

No word yet on his staff, but Diane Cornell, vice president of government affairs for mobile satellite giant Inmarsat; Phil Verveer, a former State Department executive; and Ruth Milkman, chief of the FCC’s Wireless Bureau could play roles. Cornell, a former FCC staffer, worked as vice president of regulatory policy for Wheeler when he headed the wireless industry’s CTIA lobbying group in Washington. Verveer, who stepped down as deputy assistant secretary of state for international communications in January this year, is a former FCC Cable and Common Carrier Bureau chief and veteran communications lawyer.