The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled the nomination hearing for Larry Strickling for May 19. That means the proposed new head of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration could be installed before the June 12 DTV transition deadline.
The committee last week scheduled the nomination hearing for Julius Genachowski as chairman of the FCC, the other principal government entity dealing with the transition, but a day later cancelled that hearing.
NTIA, which is chief communications policy advisor to the president, is in charge of getting $40 DTV-top-analog converter box subsidy coupons to analog-only households that request them. It is also preparing to hand out billions in broadband stimulus money.
Strickling was a telecom and technology advisor to the Obama campaign--as was FCC Chairman nominee Julius Genachowski--and is former chief of the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau and held other posts there. Strickling was one of the top candidates for the FCC post as well.
Strickling's resume includes Ameritech, Allegiance Telecom, CoreExpress, Network Plus, and he was a partner in the firm of Kirkland and Ellis.
