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'Gone Old Days'

Carr, Rosenworcel Offer First Glimpses of Their Priorities as Commissioners

New FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and returning Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel have had little to say publicly in Washington since being sworn in earlier this month (see 1708110053). But they have started to weigh in on their areas of focus through social media. Carr is casting himself as the jobs commissioner, a theme in tweets from his visit to North Carolina and a statement Thursday. Rosenworcel is indicating that public safety will once again be one of her big focuses, as it was before she had to leave earlier this year. Commissioners often can have an influence in issues they choose to champion even as the chairman sets the agenda, ex-officials noted.

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Carr tweeted about his three-day trip to North Carolina while it was in progress and issued a statement after with an emphasis on jobs. “The work that goes into deploying this broadband infrastructure is enabling innovators and entrepreneurs in the app economy to set up shop and create additional jobs right here in the Research Triangle," Carr wrote. “I saw this when I visited American Underground (AU), which is a thriving tech hub and startup incubator in downtown Durham.”

As a state, it's focused on creating jobs in the tech sector, Carr said. “I learned about those efforts when I met with the staff of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, which is helping high school and community college students find registered apprenticeships through the NCWorks program, including those in the tech and telecom sectors.” Job creation has been a big issue for President Donald Trump, who appointed Carr. Friday, Carr tweeted about a visit to WRAL-TV Raleigh. “First to digital in 1996 & now experimenting with NextGen TV,” or ATSC 3.0, he said.

Rosenworcel, already a commissioner from May 2012 to Jan. 3, has been relatively quiet since her return during what has been a relatively quiet period at the FCC. Aug. 14, three days back on the job, she tweeted about a visit to a 911 call center. “First meeting back at @FCC: With #911 officials who responded to the congressional baseball shooting in #Virginia,” she said. Aug. 16, Rosenworcel tweeted about a visit to Maine, where she was at an event at the Waterville Public Library with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. Rosenworcel indicated she visited other places in the state as well with a focus on broadband. “Connectivity counts: Thank you #BuckleFarm and @SenAngusKing, a treat to talk about #broadband with you in #rural #Maine today,” she tweeted.

Gigi Sohn, a top aide to former Chairman Tom Wheeler, told us commissioners can have influence on the chair and thus the direction of the FCC, especially when they’re in the same party. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn has been an active proponent of Lifeline and prison-calling reform, Sohn noted. “She had a great deal of impact in those areas,” Sohn said. “That was because the chairman completely agreed with her.”

Under Wheeler, Rosenworcel “had a huge impact” on E-rate, public safety and spectrum issues, Sohn said. “She was respected for her knowledge and made persuasive cases,” she said. “Particularly on E-rate, the chairman definitely deferred to her expertise.” Commissioners have less effect if they don’t find areas of focus, Sohn said. “It also depends on the chairman’s willingness to listen to you and make changes.”

There are so many topics at the FCC that there’s plenty of room for commissioners to focus and make a useful contribution,” said former Chairman Reed Hundt.

But former Commissioner Michael Copps said the political landscape has gotten more complicated at the FCC as the agency has become more partisan. “If I was the media [commissioner], for example, I don't think the majority would pay me much deference,” Copps said. “If it worked once upon a time, fine, but the good old days are the gone old days.”

Former Commissioner Robert McDowell cautioned against reading too much into the early statements. "Outside observers often give too much weight to newly minted commissioners' first statements,” McDowell said. “Issues that are hot early in a commissioner's term usually cool off within a few months. Then other matters arise and what they said initially quickly fades. Memories can be short. Does anyone remember multicast must-carry from 2006?”

Establishing themselves as experts on issues is “very important for their individual careers,” said Francisco Montero, managing partner at Fletcher Heald, which has broadcast and other clients. “It's hard to compete with the spotlight that shines on the chairman and every commissioner wants to pull away from the pack of other commissioners to get themselves noticed. It's how commissioners become chairs in the future, or how they can establish an FCC legacy to employ in pursuing other political endeavors like elected office.”