The nomination of Janet Yellin is important and got a lot of attention, perhaps out of proportion to her importance. The nomination of the head of the FCC got almost no attention, and his job is pretty important. So it’s no surprise that Tom Wheeler, who was just confirmed, has the following resume:
Wheeler was the president of the cable industry lobby about 30 years ago and later led the lobbying group for the cellphone carriers. In recent years, he has worked at venture capital firm Core Capital, investing in technology start-ups.
Putting a former lobbyist in charge of the regulatory body overseeing a set of industries that already have precious little regulation is an unfortunate decision by President Obama, and I can’t see how it be anything but a setback for consumers.