New FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks might not wait for the federal shutdown to end before taking office. The Senate confirmed Starks to his first term as a commissioner this month (see 1901030042), after the closure started but when the FCC was mostly operational. Almost two weeks later, the agency apparently still doesn’t have paperwork back from the White House and the State Department that it needs for Starks to move up to the eighth floor.
New FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks might not wait for the federal shutdown to end before taking office. The Senate confirmed Starks to his first term as a commissioner this month (see 1901030042), after the closure started but when the FCC was mostly operational. Almost two weeks later, the agency apparently still doesn’t have paperwork back from the White House and the State Department that it needs for Starks to move up to the eighth floor.
Judge Robert Wilkins will replace Judge Judith Rogers on the panel reviewing challenges to the FCC's net neutrality rollback order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit announced (in Pacer) Monday in Mozilla v. FCC, No. 18-1051. The move doesn't affect the panel's 2-1 majority of Democratic appointees (see 1901020040): President Barack Obama nominated Wilkins and President Bill Clinton appointed Rogers. The other judges are Patricia Millett, another Obama appointee, and Stephen Williams, appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Asked if the switch changed things, Andrew Schwartzman, counsel for petitioner Benton Foundation, emailed: "Not too much. ... Wilkins and Rogers are unlikely to be very different ideologically. However, he has much less of a track record on tech issues. ... He is more active in oral argument than Judge Rogers. ... When Judge Rogers presides, she is very much by-the-book. Judge Millett will now be presiding; she may be more lax about adhering to time limits." Free State Foundation President Randolph May expects the FCC would "feel more comfortable" with Rogers than Wilkins "on the theory that, in general, he may be more reflexively pro-regulatory and more likely to go along with Judge Millett. But this is really reading tea leaves at the margin.”
Judge Robert Wilkins will replace Judge Judith Rogers on the panel reviewing challenges to the FCC's net neutrality rollback order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit announced (in Pacer) Monday in Mozilla v. FCC, No. 18-1051. The move doesn't affect the panel's 2-1 majority of Democratic appointees (see 1901020040): President Barack Obama nominated Wilkins and President Bill Clinton appointed Rogers. The other judges are Patricia Millett, another Obama appointee, and Stephen Williams, appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Asked if the switch changed things, Andrew Schwartzman, counsel for petitioner Benton Foundation, emailed: "Not too much. ... Wilkins and Rogers are unlikely to be very different ideologically. However, he has much less of a track record on tech issues. ... He is more active in oral argument than Judge Rogers. ... When Judge Rogers presides, she is very much by-the-book. Judge Millett will now be presiding; she may be more lax about adhering to time limits." Free State Foundation President Randolph May expects the FCC would "feel more comfortable" with Rogers than Wilkins "on the theory that, in general, he may be more reflexively pro-regulatory and more likely to go along with Judge Millett. But this is really reading tea leaves at the margin.”
The head of a Georgetown Law communications and tech program and another lawyer there expect to change roles when the project gets a new chief, they told us last week. The changes are being sparked by the retirement of Angela Campbell, who for about 30 years headed at the law school the Institute for Public Representation's Communications & Technology Law Clinic. The school has been looking for a successor for some time, and Campbell hasn't decided if she will continue working at Georgetown after her directorship ends June 30. The clinic's Andrew Schwartzman, Benton Foundation senior counselor there, may also leave, he said. "My expectation is that I will do something else as of July 1." He hopes "to have continuing relationship with the Benton Foundation." The Benton Foundation "is honored to work with Andy beyond June 30," emailed Executive Director Adrianne Furniss about Schwartzman. "Among other things, Andy will continue to serve as counsel for Benton who is one of the petitioners" in the Mozilla v. FCC net neutrality case (see 1901030012), she added. Campbell expects to keep working on kids media as a Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood board member; the vice chair now, she likely will be elected chair in June. Her IPR program likely will remain involved in kidvid and political broadcast issues at the FCC and with kids' privacy and FTC Children's Online Privacy Protection Act rules. "It’s a good time while it's going well to have a transition" at IPR, she said. "There are a lot of qualified candidates out there, so I’m pretty confident it will work out well."
The head of a Georgetown Law communications and tech program and another lawyer there expect to change roles when the project gets a new chief, they told us last week. The changes are being sparked by the retirement of Angela Campbell, who for about 30 years headed at the law school the Institute for Public Representation's Communications & Technology Law Clinic. The school has been looking for a successor for some time, and Campbell hasn't decided if she will continue working at Georgetown after her directorship ends June 30. The clinic's Andrew Schwartzman, Benton Foundation senior counselor there, may also leave, he said. "My expectation is that I will do something else as of July 1." He hopes "to have continuing relationship with the Benton Foundation." The Benton Foundation "is honored to work with Andy beyond June 30," emailed Executive Director Adrianne Furniss about Schwartzman. "Among other things, Andy will continue to serve as counsel for Benton who is one of the petitioners" in the Mozilla v. FCC net neutrality case (see 1901030012), she added. Campbell expects to keep working on kids media as a Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood board member; the vice chair now, she likely will be elected chair in June. Her IPR program likely will remain involved in kidvid and political broadcast issues at the FCC and with kids' privacy and FTC Children's Online Privacy Protection Act rules. "It’s a good time while it's going well to have a transition" at IPR, she said. "There are a lot of qualified candidates out there, so I’m pretty confident it will work out well."
The court panel that will review the FCC net neutrality rollback includes two Democratic appointees and one Republican appointee. That cheered net neutrality advocates, but they and others cautioned against reading too much into the selection, and some suggested the commission is likely to be upheld.
The court panel that will review the FCC net neutrality rollback includes two Democratic appointees and one Republican appointee. That cheered net neutrality advocates, but they and others cautioned against reading too much into the selection, and some suggested the commission is likely to be upheld.
Many in the communications policy world have battle scars from the last prolonged federal shutdown, 16 days in 2013 when former Commissioner Mignon Clyburn was acting chairwoman. Then, the FCC, unlike some other federal agencies, largely shuttered its website, leading to widespread complaints. The FCC has been funded for the first days of this closure, but that ends Wednesday. The agency isn’t saying at this point if it will take its electronic comment filing and other licensing systems offline, with a public notice planned for Wednesday. The expectation among industry and FCC officials is that the 28 GHz auction won't reopen Thursday as planned and the website will be largely shuttered.
Many in the communications policy world have battle scars from the last prolonged federal shutdown, 16 days in 2013 when former Commissioner Mignon Clyburn was acting chairwoman. Then, the FCC, unlike some other federal agencies, largely shuttered its website, leading to widespread complaints. The FCC has been funded for the first days of this closure, but that ends Wednesday. The agency isn’t saying at this point if it will take its electronic comment filing and other licensing systems offline, with a public notice planned for Wednesday. The expectation among industry and FCC officials is that the 28 GHz auction won't reopen Thursday as planned and the website will be largely shuttered.