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| Washington Post photo |
Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama's pick to lead the
Federal Communications Commission, on Tuesday pledged to champion competition
in the telecommunications industry and said an upcoming auction of airwaves is
the biggest challenge facing the regulator, according to a story at Reuters.
Acknowledging his past as a lobbyist, Wheeler told lawmakers
at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on his nomination that at the FCC, he
would advocate for the consumers' interest first: "My client will be the
American public."
Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia
Democrat, said he was certain the Senate would approve Wheeler to succeed
Julius Genachowski as FCC chairman.
The next step for Wheeler will be a vote by
the committee on his nomination. No date has been set.
"I am an unabashed supporter of competition," he
said. "The role of the FCC has evolved from acting in lieu of competition
to dictate the market, to promoting and protecting competition with appropriate
oversight to see that it flourishes."
Addressing a critical issue he will have to tackle as FCC
chair - decades-old rules that limit cross-ownership of different U.S. media
outlets in one market - Wheeler said he understood the seriousness of the issue
and was "specifically trying not to be specific." "I want to
become more informed," he said.
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