Steve Vest, senior vice president of government relations for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, is leaving the trade group to join Time Warner Inc.’s Washington, D.C., office as senior vice president for global public policy.
Vest is departing NCTA to replace Gail MacKinnon, who is leaving Time Warner Inc. to become executive vice president and chief government relations officer of Time Warner Cable.
Time Warner Inc. and Time Warner Cable are splitting, requiring Time Warner Cable to build a new Washington, D.C., lobbying team and Time Warner Inc. to find replacements for departing officials.
The $10.9 billion cable company spin-off still needs approval by the Federal Communications Commission. The agency took 404 days to approve the takeover of bankrupt cable operator Adelphia Communications by Comcast and Time Warner in mid-2006.
Time Warner Cable is the second-largest U.S. cable company with 13.3 million basic video subscribers. The company also has 7.9 million high-speed data and 3.1 million digital phone customers.
Vest, a former aide Rep. Thomas J. Manton (D-NY), rejoined NCTA in 2006 following a two-year absence. He replaced MacKinnon after she moved to Time Warner Inc. as senior vice president of global public policy.
Time Warner Cable also announced that it hired Rachel Welch, Time Warner Inc. vice president of global public policy, to be group vice president of federal legislative affairs.
