Wiley adds former T-Mobile USA Vice President-Government Affairs Charles McKee as partner, Telecom, Media & Technology practice ... Best Best law firm names Cheryl Leanza as of counsel, telecom practice at the law firm, which she had been working with and where she represents localities in court; Leanza tells us she continues her consulting practice, A Learned Hand, advising United Church of Christ, among other clients ... Comcast Ex-Senior Deputy General Counsel Shelita Stewart rejoins Hogan Lovells, named partner, Litigation, Arbitration and Employment practice group.
It isn't clear what the FCC will decide on the July 13 DTV switch and channel 6 low-power TV stations, leaving some in industry guessing, they said in recent interviews. These LPTV outlets call themselves LP6 stations, while opponents call them “Franken-FMs.” These small stations seek to continue offering analog radio signals as an ancillary service while broadcasting video in ATSC 3.0.
The success of the FCC's $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program will "largely depend on educating consumers" about the temporary discount, said Wiley Rein's Edgar Class during an FCBA event Wednesday. Consumers eligible for the Lifeline program should consider applying for that first because all Lifeline subscribers are automatically EBB eligible, Class said. Charter Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Christine Sanquist said trusted community leaders will have to play a key role in outreach efforts. State and local officials should also take advantage of the FCC's forthcoming digital toolkit to promote the program through local channels, said AT&T Director-Federal Regulatory Anisa Green. Community organizers and local leaders are "ready to hit the ground running," said Olivia Wein, National Consumer Law Center attorney. Figuring out how this program operates "will really inform program design moving forward," Wein said. "The last year has shown the importance of" broadband for telehealth and education, said NTCA Vice President-Policy Josh Seidemann.
Some Congressional Black Caucus leaders urged President Joe Biden to nominate DLA Piper’s Smitty Smith as FCC chairman, amid lawmakers' amplified calls for the administration to name people of color as commissioners. Lawmakers and others told us there’s uncertainty about Biden’s timeline for selecting a nominee to cement a Democratic FCC majority, seen as necessary to make changes to net neutrality rules and other potentially controversial matters, given the current 2-2 split (see 2101060055).
National Music Publishers’ Association hires Chris Bates, ex-DOJ, as senior vice president-legal and business affairs, and Ashley Jones, ex-Hyperscience, as manager-external affairs … Lam Research hires Chantal Lakatos de Alcantara, ex-Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security, as senior director-regulatory affairs and Taylor Sholler, ex-Applied Materials, as senior director-legislative affairs ... Resolution Economics adds Victoria Lipnic, former acting chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as a partner.
Wiley adds ex-FCC General Counsel Thomas Johnson as partner and co-chair, Appellate Practice ... Wilkinson Barker hires Karen Milne from Akin Gump as partner; she has worked on media, satellite, telecom, wireless and technology issues ... Kroll promotions to managing directors include Grant Aldridge-Duncan for cyber risk; Darren Burrell, digital products; Chief Technology Officer Scott Goodwin, technology; Keith Novak, cyber risk; and Chief Privacy Officer Aimee Sabolyk, compliance and privacy.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin has a good chance of being elected secretary general of the ITU next year, experts said. The U.S. government signaled its support, including statements by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In 2018, Bogdan-Martin was elected director of the ITU Telecom Development Bureau, after a campaign led by Donald Trump administration officials including then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and then-NTIA Administrator David Redl. She won on the first ballot, with support from the Americas and parts of Europe and Africa (see 1811010052).
Wiley hires Danny Sepulveda, ex-MediaMath, as vice president-government partnerships and public policy at the publisher (not related to the law firm with the same name) ... Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) appoints Jenifer French, ex-Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge, to the Public Utilities Commission and intends to name her chairwoman when her term begins; she fills term ending April 10, 2024, left open by Samuel Randazzo ... American Fintech Council appoints Financial Health Network’s Garry Reeder CEO, effective April 1.
After the Feb. 17 monthly commissioners' meeting, acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel held her first news conference in over a year, the first by any FCC Democrat since February 2020. It was via conference call, unavailable to the public and cut off after half an hour, before multiple reporters were able to ask questions. That continues a trend, begun under former Chairman Ajit Pai, of sharply reduced and fewer public press briefings at the FCC during the pandemic and reflects a decadeslong and gradual reduction in availability of commission officials to reporters.
Association of American Publishers hires Terrence Hart from Copyright Office as general counsel ... Eric Feldman, ex-chief of staff to Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., joins Airbnb as head-federal and international affairs ...Stripe hires Katherine Mooney Carroll from Cleary Gottlieb as global head-policy ... Best Buy hires Janelle McClure from the office of Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, as associate director-government affairs in its Washington office, responsible for advocacy on social justice issues.