FCC Vets Help Obama Pick Appointees

Amy Schatz reports on the FCC. A bevy of Federal Communications Commission vets are helping the Obama administration sift through applicants for top jobs at federal agencies, although not exactly in their areas of expertise. Former Democratic FCC Commissioner Henry Rivera was the Obama campaign’s first choice to lead the FCC review team. After his name was leaked to the trade press, however, Democratic telecom attorneys complained to the transition team, several people close to the campaign said. Rivera’s firm, Wiley Rein LLC, is close to the current Republican-controlled FCC. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin came to the agency from the firm, as did several of the lawyers he picked to help him run the agency. Rivera was named a co-chairman of the committee reviewing candidates for the National Science Foundation instead. He’s working with Jim Kohlenberger , a former domestic policy adviser in the Clinton White House who has more recently served as executive director of the Voice on ... (link)