Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Tom Wheeler Faces Senate Confirmation Tuesday

Tom Wheeler
President Obama’s choice as new chairman of the Federal Communication Commission, Tom Wheeler, faces a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday amid initial indications the Senate will try to move quickly to confirm him as the permanent replacement for now departed chairman, Julius Genachowski.

According to The Wrap, Members of the Senate Commerce Committee will hear testimony from Wheeler, though a final committee vote on the confirmation may come later this week or next week. How quickly the full Senate will take up the nomination remains uncertain. Republican senators have blocked votes on several other Obama appointees.

Managing director of Core Capital Partners, Wheeler is a former lobbyist as well as a bundler for Obama’s presidential campaign, helping the campaign raise funds. He also served on Obama's transition team.

Wheeler is a veteran of several major communications organizations in Washington. He headed what is now the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. In 1995, he was selected as one of the 20 most influential people in shaping the cable industry.

More recently Wheeler has been a venture capitalist and co-founder of the SmartBrief, a targeted news service about the media industry.


The hearing will be webcast live via the Senate Commerce Committee website.  Refresh the Commerce Committee homepage 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to automatically begin streaming the webcast.

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