Four months into the new Biden administration, the president has yet to tap anyone to fill several key telecommunications posts, including the top jobs at the FCC and the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Both agencies are now headed by acting chiefs, and that’s making cross-party talks harder, reports Politico.
During last week’s Senate Commerce Committee vote, committee Democrats voted down a proposed GOP amendment that would update a long standing spectrum management cooperation agreement between the FCC and the NTIA. Republicans want to avoid a repeat of the turf wars that occurred between the agencies during the Trump presidency; they want a new agreement hammered out, according to the account.
Despite bipartisan agreement to help agencies cooperate better, Democrats said the lack of permanent Biden officials in charge of various agencies involved could be an issue. “We don’t even have a nominee for NTIA,” said Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA). “I wish we did, but we don’t. … Negotiating without them would be a mistake.”
Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said he thought government leaders in place now would be able to still effectively update the FCC-NTIA deal.
The White House had no comment on when nominees might be announced. However, Communications Daily reported last week the Biden administration is thinking of tapping D.C. attorney Scott Harris as NTIA chief as early as this week. Harris was the first chief of the FCC’s International Bureau, Politico reported.
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