New National Association of Broadcasters President David Rehr has picked the association's new point person with Capitol Hill and the administration, a key job as broadcasters work to secure multicast-must carry legislation and work out the issues surrounding the transition to digital.
NAB Thursday named Douglas Wiley executive VP of government relations, effective May 15.
""Doug has spent more than 20 years in Washington as an outstanding advocate for the communications industry," said Rehr in a statement. "His experience working with Congress and Administrations from both parties will be invaluable to our public policy work promoting radio and television broadcasting."
John Orlando, who had headed up the NAB's government relations department under former President Eddie Fritts, joined CBS in December as senior VP in Washington
Wiley comes from high-tech trade group, the Electronic Industries Alliance, where he was senior VP of government relations. Before that he was director of government relations for telecommunications company Alcatel.
Wiley is billed as having helped draft the 1996 Telecommunications Act while at Comptel as director of legislative affairs. That experience should serve him in good stead in his new post.
Congress is even now considering a major rewrite of that act, while President Bush has nominated former Comptel VP and general counsel Robert McDowell to the open FCC seat.
Comptel was formed in 1981 to promote competition to AT&T and grew to include wireless companies and ISPs.
Wiley is also former VP of the Telecommunications Industry Association and was a special assistant at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, working under then NTIA head and former FCC Chairman Al Sikes. He is also very close to another former FCC chairman and current top communications lawyer at Wiley, Rein & Fielding, Dick Wiley, who is Doug's father.
Doug Wiley worked on the Hill as legislative assistant to Virgina Republican Rep. Tom Bliley, former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC.
In February, NAB named Democratic Hill staffer Mike Mullen as director of government relations.
Mullen came from the office of Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), where he had been senior legislative assistant, focusing on satellite legislation and the DTV transition.
Before that he was with the staff of Rep. Jim Turner (D-Tex.).
