Washington — Comcast senior vice president,external
affairs and public policy counsel Joe Waz will retire after
17 years with the Philadelphia-based MSO, effective April
30.
Waz has had primary responsibility for the company’s
public policy. A spokesperson said no replacement has
been named. “Joe had many duties, from running the PAC
to the Foundation and External Affairs and head of policy,”
the spokesperson said. “Some will be assumed by other
executives, and there will be a new policy head hired.”
“Joe Waz has been a great asset not just to Comcast but
to the entire telecommunications industry,” Comcast executive
vice president David Cohen said.
Waz joined Comcast in 1994 from The Wexler Group in
Washington. Before that, he was at Ralph Nader’s Telecommunications
Research and Action Center. Waz is
moving to the West Coast to become a part-time consultant,
with Comcast as his first client. He will also chair the
Broadband Internet Technology Advisory Group.
“I enjoyed working with him, even though we may disagree
on issues from time to time, and I always believed
he was an honest broker of ideas,” said Public Knowledge
president Gigi Sohn.
Comcast has already lined up talent on the public-policy
side. National Cable & Telecommunications Association
president Kyle McSlarrow comes on board beginning next
month as president, Comcast/NBC Universal Washington,
in charge of the public-policy office in the capital.
