The longtime former president of NCTA and CTIA Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next FCC chairman, has a reputation as a tough manager who asks a lot of questions, said industry officials who have worked for him and those who have watched him closely. They said in interviews he will likely have a strong focus on getting things done. Unlike nearly all past chairmen he is not a lawyer, but he comes in with what is probably the most management experience of any FCC chairman ever, industry officials noted. Obama also confirmed he is designating Mignon Clyburn interim chair, the first woman to lead the FCC.
The longtime former president of NCTA and CTIA Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next FCC chairman, has a reputation as a tough manager who asks a lot of questions, said industry officials who have worked for him and those who have watched him closely. They said in interviews he will likely have a strong focus on getting things done. Unlike nearly all past chairmen he is not a lawyer, but he comes in with what is probably the most management experience of any FCC chairman ever, industry officials noted. Obama also confirmed (WID May 1 p2) he is designating Mignon Clyburn interim chair, the first woman to lead the FCC.
The longtime former president of NCTA and CTIA Tom Wheeler, President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next FCC chairman, has a reputation as a tough manager who asks a lot of questions, said industry officials who have worked for him and those who have watched him closely. They said in interviews he will likely have a strong focus on getting things done. Unlike nearly all past chairmen he is not a lawyer, but he comes in with what is probably the most management experience of any FCC chairman ever, industry officials noted. Obama also confirmed (CD May 1 p1) he is designating Mignon Clyburn interim chair, the first woman to lead the FCC.
The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) said Tuesday it’s creating a Cybersecurity Subcommittee within its existing Packet Technologies and Systems Committee. The subcommittee will work to establish standards to facilitate expected levels of security in the “multi-party ecosystem,” ATIS said. It will also address emerging areas that may require network-based security capabilities such as cloud computing and machine-to-machine communications, ATIS said. The group’s Technology and Operations Council recently created a framework for cybersecurity design across multiple network technologies; the group also developed an “end-to-end” network topology separated with security zones. The new subcommittee will focus on further developing the topology, provide security requirements for functions in each scenario, and serve as a foundation for future efforts to validate network hardware and other areas, ATIS said. The subcommittee will also make its work available to assist the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s efforts to lead development of a voluntary national Cybersecurity Framework, ATIS said (http://bit.ly/ZxPkd1).
The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) said Tuesday it’s creating a Cybersecurity Subcommittee within its existing Packet Technologies and Systems Committee. The subcommittee will work to establish standards to facilitate expected levels of security in the “multi-party ecosystem,” ATIS said. It will also address emerging areas that may require network-based security capabilities such as cloud computing and machine-to-machine communications, ATIS said. The group’s Technology and Operations Council recently created a framework for cybersecurity design across multiple network technologies; the group also developed an “end-to-end” network topology separated with security zones. The new subcommittee will focus on further developing the topology, provide security requirements for functions in each scenario, and serve as a foundation for future efforts to validate network hardware and other areas, ATIS said. The subcommittee will also make its work available to assist the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s efforts to lead development of a voluntary national Cybersecurity Framework, ATIS said (http://bit.ly/ZxPkd1).
President Barack Obama plans to nominate Tom Wheeler on Wednesday to become chairman of the FCC, a White House official confirmed Tuesday. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as interim chair until Wheeler is confirmed, the official said. Wheeler’s past leadership of CTIA and NCTA have drawn the scrutiny of public interest groups, which wrote Obama in March that Wheeler’s lobbying background could potentially disqualify him as a candidate. But a public-interest official told us Tuesday that Wheeler is unlikely to face much opposition from the Senate. The White House official would not say who will replace outgoing Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell.
President Barack Obama plans to nominate Tom Wheeler on Wednesday to become chairman of the FCC, a White House official confirmed Tuesday. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as interim chair until Wheeler is confirmed, the official said. Wheeler’s past leadership of CTIA and NCTA have drawn the scrutiny of public interest groups, which wrote Obama in March that Wheeler’s lobbying background could potentially disqualify him as a candidate. But a public-interest official told us Tuesday that Wheeler is unlikely to face much opposition from the Senate. The White House official would not say who will replace outgoing Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell.
President Barack Obama plans to nominate Tom Wheeler on Wednesday to become chairman of the FCC, a White House official confirmed Tuesday. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as interim chair until Wheeler is confirmed, the official said. Wheeler’s past leadership of CTIA and NCTA have drawn the scrutiny of public interest groups, which wrote Obama in March that Wheeler’s lobbying background could potentially disqualify him as a candidate. But a public-interest official told us Tuesday that Wheeler is unlikely to face much opposition from the Senate. The White House official would not say who will replace outgoing Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell.
The privacy and civil liberties protections being included in the White House’s Cybersecurity Framework are still in the early stages of development, but policy experts at leading privacy groups tell us they do not believe the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is likely to be a factor. Privacy groups criticized CISPA when the House passed it earlier this month because of what they saw as insufficient privacy protections (CD April 19 p6) . But those groups also see the Senate as unlikely to take up the bill, scuttling its chances of affecting the framework. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said Tuesday that he views CISPA as a “sort of useless bill” that “can’t guide us at all” (CD April 24 p12) . The committee did not respond to a request for further comment. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are collaborating to lead development of the Cybersecurity Framework, a set of standards and best practices, in response to President Barack Obama’s February cybersecurity order (CD Feb 14 p1) .
A group of East Coast states is seeking information about the potential nationwide wireless public safety broadband network, amid concerns about the network processes. The Mid-Atlantic Consortium for Interoperable Nationwide Advanced Communications, known as the MACINAC Initiative, released a 15-page request for information last week. It cited a desire to support FirstNet’s planned nationwide network as well as to look at what Mark Grubb, director of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security, called a cost-effective and workable solution for the Mid-Atlantic region as a whole.