FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who earlier in the day was promoting finding jobs for military vets, did some vet hiring of his own. He is naming Admiral David Simpson to be chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, pointing to his cybersecurity background in particular.
Simpson was most recently vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and was a delegate to a pair or international telecom conferences.
"The FCC plays an essential role in ensuring that public safety agencies have the access to communications needed to fulfill their mission of safeguarding the American public," said Wheeler in making the announcement. "At a time when our networks are continuously being attacked, it is also important to have someone with Admiral Simpson's cybersecurity skills."
Simpson coordinated communications in Baghdad in 2009 and 2010 as director for communications and information services for the U.S. forces there and has dealt with IT and communications for forces in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.
David Turetsky, who had headed the bureau, will get a new posting as coordinator for the FCC's task force on responses to international disasters like the recent Philippine typhoon. Wheeler thanked Turetsky, adding: "I am looking forward to working with him in his new role."
