CTIA Executive to Rejoin Adelstein at RUS
A former senior legal advisor to FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein will be chief of staff at the Rural Utilities Service, several sources told Communications Daily. Lisa Zaina, currently assistant vice president of regulatory affairs at CTIA, will rejoin Adelstein, who was picked to head the Agriculture Department’s RUS earlier this year. Zaina was an advisor to Adelstein at the FCC from 2002 to 2004. As chief of staff Zaina would help oversee RUS’ doling out of $2.5 billion in federal funds to expand the reach of broadband.
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After working at the FCC, Zaina was CEO of the Universal Service Administrative Company for nearly two years, after which she became the executive director of the Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance, representing mid- size telecom companies. In 2007, she joined CTIA.
Zaina would most likely be a Schedule C political appointee, meaning she could be appointed without congressional approval, said a source who has worked at the Agriculture Department. As a result, she could arrive at RUS relatively soon, and before Adelstein, who is waiting for Julius Genachowski to be confirmed as FCC Chairman before he makes the move. Reached for comment, Zaina said she didn’t want to confirm or deny the report until USDA made an official announcement. The USDA White House liaison did not return a call for comment.