FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski delivered what is widely expected to...
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski delivered what is widely expected to be his final monologue at a Federal Communications Bar Association Chairman’s Dinner Thursday night, dropping dozens of names and directing gentle kidding at many of the communications industry’s luminaries. Genachowski…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
spoke for about 30 minutes. The highlight, taking a page from the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team’s play, sources agreed, was a video of the hit song “Call Me Maybe,” with lip syncing and dancing by FCC commissioners and staff as well as FCBA members. “The Washington Post did a profile on Comcast’s top lobbyist David Cohen, the headline, and I quote, ‘The Wonk’s Rock Star,'” Genachowski said in a typical jab. “Talk about damning with faint praise. That’s like being called the tallest person in my office.” Genachowski noted Microsoft released a maps app just before the dinner. “It features our own Josh Gottheimer,” he said. “Here’s how it works. You type in an address and Josh’s voice tells you where to go and what you can do with yourself when you get there.” Even the trade press came in for some kidding. “Competition is always a big issue at the FCC,” Genachowski said. “A few years ago everybody said we were on the doorstep of duopoly, but now there’s competition for CommDaily and TRDaily.” With Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” playing softly in the background, Genachowski said he had learned a lot during his time as chairman. “No matter what happens don’t stop believing,” he said. “When your bureau chief tells you the chairman’s office wants you to rewrite the order so it reads the way you wrote it the first time, don’t stop believing,” he said. “When [Media Bureau Chief] Bill Lake keeps using air quotes whenever he says the word ‘voluntary,’ don’t stop believing. … When the CEO of Time Warner Cable schedules a meeting to lobby you and gives you a window of 9 a.m. to noon and doesn’t show up until 6, don’t stop believing."