March 4, 2009
President Obama has officially named Julius Genachowski to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a move that cheered supporters of Net neutrality.
"He will bring to the job diverse and unparalleled experience in communications and technology, with two decades of accomplishment in the private sector and public service," Obama said in making the announcement.
Genachowski is a lawyer who has spent time in politics as well as in the private sector, as an Internet executive. He was rumored to be in line for the job, since he played a key role in Obama's Internet strategies during the campaign and had been chief counsel to former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.
Industry analysts predict Genachowski will advance the Democratic Party's support for more Net neutrality regulations, which are opposed by much of the telecommunications industry. To date, the FCC has come down on the side of Net neutrality, ruling last summer that Comcasts limiting of BitTorrent was illegal.
Genachowski is a co-founder of LaunchBox Digital and Rock Creek Ventures. He worked as an executive at IAC/InterActiveCorp, with owns several Web sites.
