WASHINGTON-Within hours of telling reporters that he expected to fill “current open positions” during the month of August, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin named Bruce Franca chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering & Technology. However, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau head position remains unfilled.
Following the Federal Communications Commission’s open meeting Aug. 5, Martin was asked about vacancies of key FCC staff and persistent rumors of a reorganization of the commission.
“There are a few bureau-chief openings still left, and I am hopeful that we will be able to finish filling those up during the month of August while we have a little more down time before the fall,” Martin told reporters. “The FCC always has an obligation to consider how it should be organized and what other policy or process changes that should be made.”
A reorganization would answer the question of why Martin, who began his chairmanship March 18, has yet to announce a chief for the wireless bureau. The departure of John Muleta, the former wireless bureau chief, coincided with the departure of former FCC Chairman Michael Powell. Former OET head Edmond Thomas also left the FCC about the same time as Powell.
Speculation is that the reorganization would create a homeland-security bureau with the functions performed by the public-safety and critical-infrastructure division of the wireless bureau and other homeland-security functions scattered about in the agency. A new spectrum bureau would be created with the functions of the wireless bureau’s licensing division and the FCC’s Office of Engineering & Technology. The wireless bureau’s policy functions largely would be shifted to the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau.
Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, an influential Democrat on the House Commerce Committee has introduced legislation to reorganize the FCC. Not only would the wireless bureau be disbanded, but the Wireline Competition Bureau would see itself morphed into the economic-regulations bureau and get responsibility for the hot-button media-ownership issue. The bill, introduced by Rep. Albert Wynn of Maryland, would not create a homeland-security bureau, but would establish a public-interest bureau with responsibilities over disabilities access, enhanced 911 and the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act implementation.
By naming Franca, a career government employee who has been deputy OET chief since 1987, Martin did not foreclose the reorganization option. Martin also said that Leslie Marx is joining the FCC as chief economist, a one-year appointment.
