FCC chief choice likely next year – contenders emerge

With President-Elect Barack Obama’s transition slowing down for the holidays, it appears that the choice of a new FCC chair to replace current Republication chairman Kevin Martin will likely be held off until 2009.

With his cabinet already chosen, it was thought Obama might rush a new FCC chief pick as well. It is possible, though unlikely, that Martin will stay on as a commissioner. Obama has indicated he will, regardless, be picking a new, Democratic chairman.

In what could be one of Martin’s final moves as FCC chairman, he cancelled a planned meeting last week to consider dedicating a portion of a proposed spectrum auction for free Internet access. Martin was also hit with controversy earlier this month in the form of a report issued by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, titled "Deception and Distrust: The Federal Communications Commission Under Chairman Kevin J. Martin" (download PDF), charging mismanagement and failed oversight of national communications programs at the FCC under Martin’s leadership.

The Washington Post this week pointed to what it claims is the new leading contender, Julius Genachowski, who attended Harvard Law School with Obama, was chief counsel to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt during his term in the Clinton years and is currently technology adviser to the presidential transition team.

According to the Post, Obama is expected to soon begin announcing members of his team to lead his "Innovation Agenda” – including a new national chief technology officer, chair of the FCC, chair of the FTC and head of the White House's telecom policy arm, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Other rumored contenders for the FCC Chairman post:

• Blair Levin, former FCC chief of staff, and another member of Obama’s tech policy transition team. Levin is currently telecom analyst for investment bank Stifel Nicolaus.
• Current Democratic FCC commissioners Jonathan Adelstein or Michael Copps are expected to receive at least some consideration for the top post – and could fill an interim chairman role if Obama’s decision fails to come quickly
• Back in November, Business Week reported a slew of other potential contenders, including consultant Julia Johnson and Mignon Clyburn, current commissioner with the South Carolina PSC.