FCC Floats Replacement Candidates For Tom Wheeler

Tom Wheeler

Beltway buzz is now centered on who will replace FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, the former cable lobbyist who has been in the job for three years.

The NY Post reports Wheeler will be feted Thursday in Washington, DC, by the Federal Communications Commission Bar Association as communications professionals and lobbyists will be dissecting his tenure and gossiping about his successor.

Among the names being floated are Ajit Pai, the current Republican FCC commissioner; David Fellows, a former CTO at Comcast and AT&T and a co-founder of Layer 3 TV, a cable company in Denver; and Jeffrey Eisenach, the Trump-appointed consultant named to the transition team, according to several FCC watchers.

Ajit Pai

When asked for comment about the possible contenders, including the possibility that he might lead the federal body, Eisenach told The Post, “No comment. It wouldn’t be productive.”

“The whole thing is a black hole,” said one source, commenting on who President-elect Trump will finally appoint. Sources are unanimous, however, that the new FCC will be pro-business and firmly in the corner of cable companies and telecom operators.

Jessica Rosenworcel

During the Obama administration, there was a widely held view that the FCC was pro-Internet companies.

The agency is currently made up of five positions, including the chairman. There are two Republicans, Pai and Michael O’Rielly, and three Democrats, Wheeler, Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel.

Rosenworcel is still waiting to be reconfirmed by the Senate, though several FCC experts suggest it is unlikely that she will remain. Others say Clyburn may also opt to exit.

Some in Washington circles are suggesting that John Branscome may replace Rosenworcel. He is a senior counsel to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and worked at the FCC as its deputy chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau.