Redl Assurances on IANA Transition Position Prompted End of Hold on His Confirmation
Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told us Wednesday he lifted his hold the previous day on now-confirmed NTIA Administrator nominee David Redl after a meeting between the two. That conversation reassured Schatz that Redl wasn't going to reverse his position on the 2016 Internet Assigned Numbers Authority oversight transition. But Redl may not take office for another week or even longer, said industry officials informed about the situation. President Donald Trump must sign the paperwork approved by the Senate before it can be transmitted to the Commerce Department and Redl can be sworn in. Trump is on a 13-day trip to Asia and won’t be back in the U.S. until late next week. NTIA and the White House didn’t comment.
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The Senate confirmed Redl Tuesday on a voice vote (see 1711070084 and 1711070076). Schatz placed his hold on Redl in October so he and other Senate Democrats could get information about the agreement Redl and President Donald Trump’s administration reached with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to lift Cruz's earlier hold on the nominee (see 1710230026, 1710230062 and 1710300028).
After meeting with Redl, “I am satisfied that he understands, as does the Department of Commerce, that it is simply not practicable to reverse” the IANA transition “and that whatever one's view of the appropriateness of the decision, it's literally impossible now for the federal government to grab back that responsibility and put it back” under Commerce's oversight, Schatz said. Cruz placed his earlier hold on Redl after voicing long-standing concerns about Redl's position on the handover. Those concerns prompted several delays of a Senate Commerce Committee vote on Redl (see 1706280027, 1706280061, 1708020052 and 1708160034).
Schatz confirmed speculation the deal Cruz struck with Redl and the White House involved increased oversight of NTIA activities. The Democratic senator said Redl “indicated that he was going to regularly interact” with Cruz, but it wasn't clear “how it was going to be structured.” Schatz said Cruz's request for additional oversight is “not troubling. I presume anyone that we confirm will promise to be responsive to oversight.”
“I am really looking forward to getting to work,” Redl said on Facebook after the confirmation vote. NTIA doesn’t have a deputy administrator, so the agency hasn’t had full-time political leadership since former Administrator Larry Strickling left in January at the end of President Barack Obama's administration. Redl's confirmation drew widespread praise in statements from industry and House Commerce Committee leaders, who had been frustrated at the lengthy NTIA vacancy.
Redl's experience as House Commerce's chief GOP telecom counsel means his “experience and in-depth knowledge of communications law and policy is unmatched,” said committee Chairman Greg Walden., R-Ore., and House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. With Redl “at the helm, we are confident NTIA will make great strides to ensure efficient federal spectrum use, expand broadband internet access to all, and secure Americans’ communications networks.”
Redl is “incredibly well-qualified to serve at the helm of NTIA, and I know he will further NTIA’s missions of promoting broadband deployment and ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. A “consummate professional and a likeable guy,” said Commissioner Mike O’Rielly.
“His appointment shows that the Administration recognizes the importance of ensuring an open spectrum pipeline that meets growing consumer demand, spurs economic growth and secures U.S. leadership in next-generation 5G wireless,” said Meredith Baker, president of CTIA, where Redl was once on staff. The Wi-Fi Alliance called Redl “uniquely qualified to lead NTIA.” The American Cable Association, CenturyLink, Comcast, Mobile Future, NCTA, USTelecom and the Utilities Technology Council also lauded the confirmation.