FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2013
CONTACT
Inez Gonzalez
igonzalez@www.nhmc.org
(213) 718-0740
Washington, DC - According to published reports, President Obama is expected to name Tom Wheeler as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"). During the confirmation process, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn is expected to serve as acting chair.
Mr. Wheeler currently serves as a managing director at Core Capital Partners, a private equity firm. Previously, Mr. Wheeler headed up two of the most prominent telecommunications industry trade associations, lobbying for the interests of the cable industry and the wireless industry in Washington, DC. He also served in a prominent role in the Obama-Biden Transition Team and was a major bundler of donations for President Obama.
The following statement can be attributed to Alex Nogales, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition:
"I strongly believe that the next chair of the FCC must do more to address the communications needs of the poor, rural communities, and people of color. It is my hope that Mr. Wheeler possesses the desire to confront, head on, the challenges that these communities face, particularly when it comes to ownership, access, and adoption of the communications services that are essential to serving their information needs. Once Mr. Wheeler is confirmed, I look forward to discussing a number of NHMC's priorities with him, including our longstanding petition for inquiry into hate speech in the media - a petition that languished under the previous chair despite widespread support within the FCC.
"I also look forward to Commissioner Clyburn's historic turn as acting chair. Commissioner Clyburn will be the first woman to serve in the top post at the FCC, albeit on a temporary basis. She has been one of our finest champions at the FCC and I look forward to being able to assist her in any way that I can during her time in charge.
"While President Obama may have missed an opportunity to make history by naming a woman of color as FCC chair, we look forward to working with Mr. Wheeler and hope to develop our relationship with him over the coming weeks and months. Mr. Wheeler should be aware that we have high expectations for his leadership turn at the FCC, regardless of his background. Above all else, I expect him to serve the public interest during every single day of his tenure."
