It's official. Julius Genachowski is the newest chairman of the FCC.
He was sworn in at 2:25 p.m. ET at the Supreme Court by Justice David Souter, according to an FCC spokesman. He will be taking over from acting chairman Michael Copps, who remains on the FCC as a commissioner.
Genachowski is a former clerk of Souter's.
Because Chairman Genachowski is finishing off the four years remaining in the term of Democratic Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, Adelstein will no longer a commissioner as of that swearing in.
Adelstein is awaiting a hearing on his new appointment as head of the USDA's Rural Utilities Service. He will likely stay in touch with the FCC since both RUS and the FCC are charged by Congress with helping roll out broadband service to the nation.
As of that same 2:25 p.m., Genachowski could being officially installing his staff, which is expected to happen as soon as possible, with an FCC announcement of 10 or so Genachowski staffers as early as this afternoon. His chief of staff is expected to be Ed Lazarus, partner at law firm Akin Gump, as anticipated by B&C back in May.
Lazarus is also a former Supreme Court clerk.
Now former acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps added his hello and goodbye to the days comings and goings.
"We welcome our new Chairman Julius Genachowski who begins what promises to be a public-spirited and distinguished tenure as Chairman. He knows the FCC well, brings impressive private sector and technology experience with him, and enjoys deserved renown for innovative thinking and new approaches. I look forward to working with him on the many issues awaiting his attention."
"But having to bid farewell to my friend and colleague Jonathan Adelstein makes it a difficult day, too. Jonathan and I have worked closely together on so many issues that it makes it hard for me to imagine a Commission without him. Our thoughts most often run in the same direction, whether the issue is media, broadband, rural America, the disabilities communities, reaching out to non-traditional stakeholders or upholding a shared vision of the public interest. His intelligence, good judgment, wide experience and invariably good humor combined to make him a highly productive Commissioner across a wide gamut of issues."
