Julius Genachowski nominated to chair FCC

Julius Genachowski, 46 year old former Harvard Law School classmate of Barak Obama, has been nominated for the top post at the Federal Communication Commission.  During the presidential campaign, he served as top technology adviser for then candidate Obama.

Genachowski was responsible for putting together a detailed technology and innovation plan for the Obama campaign which expressed support for open Internet or “net neutrality” protections.   Net neutrality, a principle which insists that ISPs not discriminate against traffic on their networks, is a primary concern of Mr. Genachowski.  Key lawmakers have already signaled their intent to reintroduce legislation to make an open Internet the gold standard.  Creating a national broadband policy is also likely to be a major focus for Genachowski as the U.S. has slipped to 15th place in worldwide broadband penetration (from 4th place in 2001) while maintaining one of the highest costs for these services.

Serving on the FCC committee during the Clinton administration, Genachowski is no stranger to this line of work.  He was a co-founder of LaunchBox Digital, a Washington, D.C.-based technology venture capital firm, and has many years of experience in various technology ventures with Internet mogul, Barry Diller.

One of the FCC’s initial challenges will be handling the nationwide conversion to digital television (DTV) signals (which, after being delayed in order to give viewers more time to prepare for the change, is now set for June).  They are also expected to move quickly to encourage a broader diversity in the controlling interests of the nations broadcast and media companies (after many years of consolidation in the industry).

Among the FCC’s mandates are regulating telephone and cable companies, overseeing the concentration of ownership of radio and television outlets, and auctioning public airwaves.  If confirmed, Genachowski will have immediate initial support in the form of billions of dollars in grants authorized under the recently-enacted economic stimulus bill. . . not to mention a close personal relationship with the new president.

In the case of Genachowski, it isn’t just “Who” he knows but also “What” he knows.  At this point, he appears to be a slam dunk for an organization in desperate need of renewal.