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White House nominates venture capitalist as new FCC chairman

Venture capitalist and former CTIA CEO Tom Wheeler has been nominated to take over for Julius Genachowski at the FCC.
Written by Rachel King, Contributor
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After rumors circulated earlier this week, The White House has named a new chairman for the Federal Communications Commission.

President Obama has appointed Tom Wheeler, a former lobbyist for cable and wireless trade groups as well as the managing director of Core Capital Partners, as the next FCC leader.

Also previously appointed by President Obama to the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, Wheeler's resume includes serving as president of the National Cable Television Association from 1979 to 1984 as well as leading as CEO for a number of technology startups.

He also served as CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) until 2004.

Wheeler replaces Julius Genachowski, who announced his resignation amid a shakeup involving other Commission board members in March.

Nominated by President Obama in 2009, Genachowski's tenure focused primarily on the the advancement of broadband technology.

In remarks to his staff at the time, Genachowski said that the FCC "laid more fiber in the U.S. in each of the last two years than in any year since 2000, and average broadband speeds nearly doubled since 2009."

Wheeler's nomination is still subject to approval by the United States Senate.

One of Wheeler's first items on the agenda would likely having something to do with T-Mobile now that the nation's fourth largest wireless provider has completed its merger with the country's fifth, MetroPCS.

Image via Core Capital Partners

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