Gomez Called Right Person to Lead U.S. Delegation to WRC, Though Challenges Loom

COVID-19 complicated preparation for the WRC, with many meetings virtual in the early stages, though most now are in person (see 2209190059).

Heading “the U.S. delegation is always really complicated … because of the competing U.S. interests, no less the international interests, on spectrum -- national defense, different commercial uses,” said a lawyer with international experience: “It’s no longer a zero-sum game -- whoever wins, others lose -- but it still has a lot of those aspects and many billions of dollars in business plans rise and fall on the outcome of WRC. It is a very big deal.”

Gomez comes to the job with more experience than most former leaders of the delegation. She held other leadership jobs at NTIA, as deputy and acting administrator, and at the FCC, the most important agencies for WRC prep work, industry officials said. She also has experience in the private sector, recently retiring from Wiley.

The last two ambassadors, Grace Koh and Richard Russell, had less experience than Gomez when appointed and were in earlier stages of their careers. And Koh, who served under President Donald Trump, faced the complication of a prolonged partial federal shutdown before the 2019 meeting (see 1901180027).

“Anna is a home-run decision by this administration,” David Gross, a former State Department official, told us: “She checks all the boxes with her government and private sector experience.” Gross worked with Gomez at Wiley.

"Anna is incredibly well-equipped to wrangle the intricacies of this WRC,” said Cooley’s Robert McDowell, who also worked with Gomez at Wiley. “COVID complicated the WRC process over the past couple of years,” he said: “As a result, there are more loose ends that need tying up than in previous WRC cycles. So it will be an unusual challenge. But the breadth of Anna's experience will serve the U.S. delegation incredibly well to make the WRC as fruitful as possible."

“U.S. delegation heads are little more than political appointees, and don't make much difference,” countered Anthony Rutkowski, a former counselor to two ITU secretaries-general, in an email. “The government agency staff, experience, relationships, analysis and collaboration are what count,” he said. But Rutkowski said Gomez has experience and is known in industry: “Ultimately, however, it is the composite delegation, reasonableness of the proposals, and engagement skills that make the difference.”

FCC WRC Advisory Committee Chair Patricia Paoletta of HWG said another hurdle Gomez faces is an agenda with more items steeped in science than most past WRCs. Every WRC “is always going to be a challenge for somebody to parachute in” and deal with 30-some issues running the gamut from terrestrial mobile to satellite, she said.

Gomez is a “smart, dedicated, and knowledgeable leader in the space, and I’m glad she’s at the helm,” said Digital Progress Institute President Joel Thayer. “As for the COVID-19 issues, it’s certainly an aspect that every organization has in the back of their minds at least,” he said. “My guess is that the global community has been faced with similar challenges to WRC due to the virus, and will probably leverage that experience,” he said.

Gomez's "distinguished career, in both private industry and as a public servant, provides her with a broad perspective needed to lead and represent America’s global telecommunications, satellite and spectrum interests," Satellite Industry Association President Tom Stroup said in a statement. Gomez's background as former FCC International Bureau deputy chief and NTIA deputy administrator gives her "the wealth of leadership and policy expertise regarding global telecommunications and satellite spectrum which makes her the ideal choice to lead the U.S. delegation in preparation for this year’s WRC-23,” said SIA Executive Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Warren.

U.S. Leadership

American Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s election last year as ITU secretary-general (see 2209290044) isn’t likely to benefit the U.S. delegation at WRC-23, industry observers said. “Doreen isn’t the one who runs the WRC,” said former NTIA Administrator David Redl. “Rhetorically, it’s great to see Doreen in that chair,” but it doesn’t materially benefit the U.S. at WRC, he said. Paoletta said the ITU secretary-general makes appearances at WRC, but “she doesn’t really play a role in the substantive decisions.

Bogdan-Martin likely can’t -- and won’t -- attempt to take an activist role, emailed Rob Frieden, Penn State emeritus professor of telecommunications and law. Past "behind the scenes" involvement by ITU senior management has at times gone off the rails, he said.

Mario Maniewicz’s role as ITU Radiocommunication Bureau director, and thus the one directly running WRC-23, could benefit the U.S. optically and strategically because he’s from Uruguay and Region 2, which covers the Americas, Paoletta said. Redl said it’s not clear whether Maniewicz would benefit the U.S. To be a bureau director, “you have to put aside a little bit of national interest and regional interest for global interest,” he said: “If he’s not being a fair arbiter, it will show.”

WRCs have been getting more difficult, due to the increased competition for congested spectrum, which means increasingly full and contested agendas, Redl said. Gomez heading the U.S. delegation is “ideal,” Frieden said: "She combines substantive understanding of the various technologies involved with experience in negotiation and consensus building.”