WASHINGTON-Steven Berry, the No. 2 official at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, is leaving the organization to direct lobbying for the cable TV industry.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association today said Berry, who served as senior vice president of government affairs at CTIA since 1997 and lost to Steve Largent in competition to replace Thomas Wheeler as head of the cellular trade group, will begin Jan. 2 as senior vice president of government relations at NCTA.
CTIA confirmed Berry was leaving the organization, but declined to explain the circumstances of his departure.
“CTIA has not yet addressed the issue of succession,” said Travis Larson, a spokesman for the association.
Berry, a Republican, complemented former CTIA chief Wheeler, a Democrat, in lobbying wireless issues in Congress, regulatory agencies and the White House. In recent years, with the GOP controlling both Congress and the White House, Berry was a particularly valuable asset at CTIA.
But with the association now headed by a conservative Republican, Largent may be looking for a Democrat to balance its lobbying team.
