New FCC Media Chief Even-Tempered, With Strong Right Hand Man
Donna Gregg, the new FCC Media Bureau Chief, is a limelight-shunning, highly effective D.C. communications attorney, former colleagues said. Gregg, called a “lawyer’s lawyer” by many, has made a mark with advocacy efforts as a FCBA member. “She’s not a grandstander. She is not someone who confuses herself with the issues,” said Precursor Group analyst Rudy Baca, who worked at the FCC for 12 years. “She is not someone who jumps immediately to the commissioners,” Baca said.
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FCC Chmn. Martin said late Fri. he would name Gregg bureau chief (CD June 6 p11). She hasn’t granted interviews since. Gregg, who started Mon. in her new post, was Corp. for Public Bcstg.(CPB) vp, legal & regulatory affairs and then CPB gen. counsel for several years. She replaced the more outspoken Kenneth Ferree, who went to CPS as exec. vp. Martin is expected to announce his choices for FCC gen. counsel and Wireless Bureau chief at the FCC meeting Thurs., sources said.
Gregg’s understated manner will fit well with Roy Stewart, appointed Senior Deputy Chief of the Media Bureau, said Dick Wiley, partner of Wiley Rein & Fielding and former FCC chairman. “Roy gives a strong right arm,” Wiley said. Before joining CPB, Gregg was a partner at Wiley while Martin worked at the firm.
The bureau offers Gregg much to tackle. Issues related to the digital transition could accelerate as both Senate and House push bills to impose a hard transition date. Assn. of Public TV Stations Pres. John Lawson said he looks forward to working with Gregg as his member stations conclude the DTV transition. “She has long been a friend of public television, and we appreciate her thoughtful approach to complex policy issues,” Lawson said. Gregg will handle media ownership rules relaxed under Ferree and remanded by the 3rd U.S. Appeals Court, Philadelphia. The Community Bcstrs. Assn. (CBA) said they hope Gregg’s CPB work will prove useful in increasing small media business ownership and promoting diversity. The CPB mission includes “developing of programming that involves creative risks and that addresses the needs of unserved and underserved audiences,” the CBA said in a statement.
Gregg’s experience has been more in cable than broadcasting. She began her legal career as a staff attorney in the FCC’s former Cable TV Bureau. “Her prior practice has focused on cable issues, though she has experience with other parts of the industry,” said Todd Gray, partner in Dow, Lohnes & Albertson, another firm where Gregg worked.
NAB isn’t concerned about Gregg’s cable background. “Anyone who can be fair and honest is fine,” said Jane Mago, NAB senior vp-gen. counsel, who has known Gregg in various connections. “She is always good with the details and a pleasure to work with.”
Even those who disagree on Media Bureau matters say Gregg’s solid reputation as a communications lawyer bodes well for the industry. “I don’t expect to agree with her on everything, but I expect her to do a good job,” said Media Access Project Pres. Andrew Schwartzman. Gregg “comes in capable of hitting the ground running” -- a marked distinction from Ferree, a fish out of water from the beginning, Schwartzman said.